Every Breath You Take
by M3535
Summary: After being disowned by his family for being gay, Regulus travels to the United States to visit his brother, who has lived there since running away from home at 16. But Regulus leaves more than his family problems behind. It is not easy for him to adapt to his new surroundings and to resist a certain tawny-haired young man. Non-magical AU. Lots of SMUT!
1. Welcome to South Carolina

A/N: Zayhad and I are back with another collaboration :) As usual we plan on posting every Thursday. Zayhad will be making a piece of art once in a while when she feels inspired. It's good to be back and we hope you'll like the fic. Lots of smut in this one ;)

Disclaimer: Characters belong to J. K. Rowling

 **Chapter 1 – Welcome to South Carolina**

Sirius Black checked his watch. It said 3:15 p.m. and the flight was supposed to be in at three. He walked around in circles as he kept checking the screens for updates on his brother's plane. Two weeks earlier he had received an e-mail from Regulus saying that he would like to come to the States and live with him for a few months and Sirius had happily replied yes. He had not seen him for five years so he was actually rather nervous. He took a gulp of his Coke and turned to his best friend. "He should be here any minute now!"

"I still don't get why you've barely said a word about you brother for the past five years," said the messy-haired young man standing next to Sirius, "and then suddenly you're acting as if he means the world to you and you're all excited about him coming." James emptied the last of his Cheetos bag's content into his palm before jamming the crumbs into his mouth.

"Well… I guess I felt bad about leaving him behind with our horrid parents, so I didn't like to think or talk about him," said Sirius, scratching his neck. "Also, he never answered my mails. Not one. And now out of the blue he writes me." Sirius shot his arms out to the sides, looking puzzled. "Can you believe it?"

"Maybe he was pissed at you for leaving," said James, rummaging in his pockets for coins to buy another bag of chips from the vending machine. "Were you very close?"

"We were when we were little," said Sirius, looking a bit sad by the thought. "He was a sweet kid, but he changed as he grew older, turning into a right little snob like our parents. When I moved over here to live with your family I wrote him every week, but I never got an answer back so eventually I stopped writing. I think the last time I wrote was two years ago when I started college. Just to let him know where I lived now and everything. And I'm glad I did, because now he's coming here to stay with me!"

"Ain't that him over yonder?" asked James suddenly, pointing over Sirius' shoulder. "He looks a bit like you when we first met."

Sirius turned his head and spotted a handsome boy with a slender frame coming out from gate 12. Sirius waved excitedly and hurried over to him. "Reggie?"

The boy raised his eyebrows. "Yes. Why are you looking so surprised? You knew I was coming in now."

"Of course, but I haven't seen you in five years!" beamed Sirius and enveloped his brother in a bone-crushing embrace. "You got long hair!" he said, taking a step back, looking at Regulus' dark hair, falling in waves a bit past his shoulders. "I would never have expected that!" he grinned. "Is it some sort of teenage rebellion against the old bats?"

Regulus looked surprised for a second. "No. They aren't loving it, but they allowed it because Rabastan Lestrange has long hair and says it's in. You know that family are big shots in the fashion industry." He ran his fingers through a lock. "I usually keep it above the shoulders, though, but I haven't had a haircut since…"

"Since what?"

"Oh, nothing," Regulus said quickly. "Just for a while."

James stepped forward and stuck out his hand. "Welcome to South Carolina," he smiled.

Regulus studied him for a moment before giving his hand a quick shake. "Sirius, you really ought to tell your chauffeur to keep his hair neat. It reflects badly on you."

"Chauffeur?" Sirius looked at his brother in bafflement and then laughed. "This is James Potter! My best mate. And roommate. I live with three blokes: James, Peter, and Remus; and we don't have a chauffeur or any other kind of servant. We all help each other out around the flat."

James looked very offended and drew back his hand, stuffing it into his pocket as they headed for the exit.

"Not even a house keeper?" asked Regulus, looking thoroughly shocked.

Sirius shook his head. "No housekeeper. You're not in high society any longer, so you'll have to get used to that."

 **o0o0o**

"I thought you said your brother was eighteen, Sirius," said James when they were on their way in the car.

"He is."

"Really?" said James, turning in his seat to cast a glance at Regulus in the back. "He doesn't look older than fourteen. He doesn't look like he even started shaving yet."

Regulus' face turned red. "Put a sock in it, will you? You're just offended because I thought you were the chauffeur."

Sirius snickered, eying his brother in the rearview mirror. "He always looked young for his age. Don't worry, Reggie, a few months away from Mum's skirts will make you grow into a man."

 **o0o0o**

They pulled into the parking lot in front of a large apartment building and Sirius got out of the car, pulling Regulus' two large suitcases from the trunk. "Bloody hell – did you bring all your belongings?"

A skinny young man of about 20 met them at the door. He had light brown hair, amber eyes, and a kind face. "Hey," he smiled at Regulus. "Welcome to our home. I'm Remus."

Regulus eyed the young man and shook his hand. "Regulus. But you know that, I'm sure. You have an interesting name. Does your family have a tradition with old Roman names? Ours use stars and constellations."

"Not really," smiled Remus, his eyes quickly running up and down the boy. "I reckon my mama just liked Remus. I like your name. It's very special, like your brother's."

"Pete!" called Sirius. "Turn off the TV and get your arse out here and say hello to my brother!"

A short, stout boy with straw-colored hair came out from the living room. He had clearly been eating something because he wiped a greasy hand on his pants before holding it out to greet Regulus.

Regulus wrinkled his nose, eying the greasy hand in distaste. "I think I'll pass," he said, not taking the hand.

"I'm Peter," smiled Peter, not seeming bothered by Regulus' reaction.

"So this is everyone," smiled Sirius, putting an arm around his brother's shoulders. "I'll show you to your room. You must be tired after the long journey so I'm guessing you'd like a rest before dinner. And you're lucky because it's Remus' turn to cook tonight. He's by far the best cook of us."

Regulus was not impressed with his room; no more than the he was with the rest of the apartment. "It's very small. How big are your rooms?"

"Not much bigger, and this is the only one that's available. It used to be our study room but we turned it into a bedroom so you could have your own space."

"I suppose it will have to do, then," Regulus sighed and put his backpack down. "Blimey, it's so bloody hot and humid here! I can barely breathe."

"Well, this is South Carolina, not South England. You'll get used to it. I'll be in to wake you up in an hour or two for dinner," said Sirius. "And Reggie? It's good to have you here. I've missed you."

Regulus shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He had never been good with emotional talk. "You too," he mumbled.

 **o0o0o**

"He seems nice," said Remus, sitting down with a book and some papers. He was trying to get some studying done before dinner, and from the looks of it, Peter had been doing the same until something on the TV had caught his attention.

"Yeah?" grinned James and winked. He had noticed how Remus' eyes had travelled up and down their guest. "So is he a hottie or a nottie?"

"What do you mean?" asked Remus and blushed a little as he stared at his book.

"You know what I mean," said James, waggling his eyebrows.

"Of course Remus thinks he's a hottie," grinned Sirius, running a hand through his short hair as he came back to the living room. "He's devilishly handsome – it's a family thing."

 **o0o0o**

Regulus was close to unconscious when Sirius came in a couple of hours later. He had finally managed to fall asleep despite the heat. At first he didn't know where he was. "What the..." He sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Who... Sirius? What are you doing here?"

"Er… you're in my flat, remember?" Sirius grinned, leaning against the doorframe. "Dinner's ready if you would like some. Remus made lasagna so you're in for a treat."

Regulus hummed grumpily and got up to get dressed. He was still very tired but he supposed he might as well have a quick bite before going back to bed.

The others were already seated around the dining table in the living room when Regulus came in.

"We usually just sit on the couch and watch TV but since it's your first night here we thought we'd make it a little special and eat at the dining table," explained Sirius.

"I think we should use it more often," said Remus and sent the salad bowl around.

Regulus raised an eyebrow. Eating in front of the TV? "How uncivilized. I must say that sounds very disrespectful."

"Disrespectful?" asked James.

"To the cook. And the other diners," Regulus explained.

James and Peter laughed. Sirius rolled his eyes. He could just hear this coming out of his mother's mouth. And quite hypocritically so, since she herself, in fact, showed no respect to servants or anyone else below har status. "We like watching TV while we eat," said Sirius and slabbed a large piece of lasagna onto his plate.

"Well, we do have the dining table and it's gonna be a bit cramped around the TV with the five of us now," said Remus.

"But I like watching TV," moped Peter.

Regulus sent Peter a disapproving look, then poured himself another glass of water. "So all of you study at the university?"

"Yup. Remus and Peter major in English, me and Sirius in Chemistry," said James.

"Sirius and I," corrected Regulus.

"Huh?"

"It's Sirius and I, not me and Sirius," said Regulus. "It's called correct grammar. It's clear that you are not the one majoring in English."

"Whatever, Mr. perfect," said James, rolling his eyes.

"I knew that," said Peter, looking proud.

"Well, you should, since it's your major," said Sirius. "You can't expect Remus to save your arse all the time."

Regulus eyed Peter again. Was he a dimwit or something? Regulus pushed his plate away with his food only half eaten.

"You don't like it?" asked Remus a little nervously.

"It's so _hot_ here," Regulus complained. "How can any of you have an appetite in this heat?"

James laughed. "This is nothing. It's only April. Just you wait till June and you'll get hot!"

Regulus groaned. "Don't you have some sort of cooling system?"

"Pete, crack open a window, will you?" said Sirius, nodding towards Peter, who grunted and got to his feet and opened the window behind him to let in some air.

"Sorry, but our air conditioner is broken and we haven't gotten around to getting it fixed yet," Remus explained.

"What?" said Regulus. "How am I going to get a whole night's sleep, then? You must get it fixed immediately. Isn't there a caretaker in this place?"

"It's night, Regulus," said Sirius. "The caretaker isn't at disposal around the clock. And tomorrow is his day off, I think. Do you think you could survive until Wednesday?"

"Lousy service this building has," commented Regulus. "It's very humid here, and I'm your guest. Things such as this should be in order. That's the least you could do when it's so hot. I've heard of the famous Southern hospitality, but I haven't experienced it yet."

"Stop it, Reggie!" said Sirius and put his fork down hard, making his glass and plate jump. "The lads have welcomed you with open arms and in return you've just been rude! It's not that hot and there's a nice breeze outside, so open a bloody window!"

"We'll get it fixed quickly," Remus said, trying to smoothen things out.

"You can have our floor fan," said James in a none too friendly tone. "Since there's no ceiling fan in your room."

Regulus sighed dramatically. "Well, I suppose that will have to do for now, then."

"It will have to do!" said Sirius.

"So, Regulus," said Remus, looking at the teen. "How long do you plan on staying? And did you have any plans on what you'd wanna do on your visit?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"I haven't decided anything yet," said Regulus. "Just needed to get a bit away from home and experience something new. Also, I have not seen my brother for many years. Not since he abandoned our family."

Remus bit his knuckle, fearing he had struck a nerve with the brothers.

"I didn't abandon the family," Sirius growled, narrowing his eyes at his brother. "I left because I had no other choice. They were killing me. I had to get away."

"I never saw anyone holding a knife to your throat," said Regulus dryly.

"No, but they didn't exactly make home life pleasant," said Sirius, looking pointedly at his brother. "Or did you forget how Dad used to smack me around and how Mum screamed at me around the clock?"

"Oh, get over it. Most children get smacked around a bit. It's called discipline. You just didn't like the fact that you couldn't behave the way you pleased."

"Easy now, guys," said Remus and tried to smile. "Just be happy that you're together again and can enjoy a few months together, right?"

"I think I'll get started on the dishes," said James and quickly collected the plates. Peter joined him, grabbing the rest of the dishes, and followed James to the kitchen.

Remus sat looking at the two brothers for a moment, feeling a little bad for Sirius. He had been looking so much forward to seeing his brother.

"I'll go find that fan for your room," said Sirius and left.

Regulus stayed seated. He wasn't keen on following his brother right now. That left just him and Remus and an awkward silence.

"Sirius has really been looking forward to seeing you," said Remus and took a sip of water. "He hasn't talked about anything else the past two weeks."

"Oh..." said Regulus, a little surprised. Sirius had written him from time to time, yes, but Regulus had thought it was more due to a guilty conscience than missing him. "Well... I think I'll turn in. Thanks for a lovely dinner."

He found Sirius plugging in the fan in his room. "I'm... I'm just tired from the trip," was the best apology he could muster. "Long flight. Horrible neighbor on the plane."

"It's fine," said Sirius, turning on the fan and making it face the bed. "There. Now you shouldn't get too hot and if it gets too cold you just turn it off on this button." He looked at his brother for a moment. "Well... sleep well. There's food in the fridge so you just help yourself if you get hungry."

Regulus nodded and climbed into bed. It was rather small and not as comfortable as his own at Grimmauld Place or at the boarding school, but he didn't have the energy to complain any more tonight.

 **o0o0o**

Remus sat in the living room to do a bit of his proof-reading work that he was behind on when Sirius came back out. He looked up and smiled. "He settled in?"

Sirius slumped down beside him and nodded with a sigh.

"He's probably just tired from the trip," said Remus. "I don't think he meant the things he said so harshly. You know how grumpy you can get when you're exhausted."

"Perhaps. But he used to lecture me on how to behave back then as well. Said it was my own fault they were giving me such a hard time. As if I would ever suck up to them like him, acting like a bloody little angel."

Remus put his pencil down and eyed Sirius with a concerned look. "Did you two always have such a strained relationship or was it just the last couple of years? You seemed so happy he was coming so I just assumed you two were close."

"We were when we were younger. He idolized me, but when he grew older he started copying our parents more and more. The last couple of years we fought a lot. We still had some good moments, though."

"Well, maybe you can have that back now, since your parents ain't around," smiled Remus. "And he did choose to come and see you, after all, so maybe he's ready to start over?"

"Hopefully. They've been poisoning his mind for eighteen years now. It can only have a good effect on him being away from them and the other snobs at Eton."

Remus put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Just give him a few days to settle in and I'm sure he'll come 'round."


	2. I Don't Look Fourteen!

**Chapter 2 – I Don't Look Fourteen!**

Regulus woke around five o'clock the next morning to find it still dark outside. He sighed and lay back down, looking up at a crack in the ceiling. He was still tired but couldn't go back to sleep because it was almost noon in England. Bloody jet-lag… He finally got up and went the kitchen for some water. He found Remus sitting at the kitchen table, working on some school papers. "Oh, it's you," he said. "Why are you up already?"

"Can't sleep," said Remus and looked up from his papers. "And I got a lot of work that needs to be done by Monday, so I figured I might as well make the best of the time. You can't sleep either? Jetlag?"

"Yes," sighed Regulus and dropped down on a chair. "And this bloody heat."

"Didn't the fan help?" asked Remus and got up to get Regulus a glass of ice water. "I promise we'll get the air conditioner fixed soon."

"It helps a little but it's so noisy," mumbled Regulus and took a sip of the water offered by Remus. "Why did Sirius have to move so far south? Why not New York or something? They have a more normal climate, at least."

"Because this is where James and his family lives," said Remus, although Regulus, of course, already knew that. He poured himself another cup of coffee. "Just give it a few weeks and you'll get used to the heat. You might even come to like it. Sirius did. You could go swimming one of these days if you'd like."

"Swimming?" asked Regulus. "Is there a pool around? I hear everybody has pools over here. Even the middle class."

"Not everybody, but I bet more than in England since it's so much hotter here. There's a public pool not far from here. There's also one in our apartment complex but it's pretty small and I don't know when they last cleaned it, so I'd go for the public pool if I were you. And we usually drive to the beach a few times a month in the summertime. It's real nice."

"We'll see..." said Regulus. "Well, I should probably try to get some more sleep. Otherwise I will never adapt to this time zone."

"Probably a good idea. I hope you get some sleep," smiled Remus and rested his head on his hand, studying the British boy. Even now, tired and disheveled, he looked gorgeous. "Did Sirius tell you where everything is? Just so you can find your way around in case there's no one here when you get up."

"I think so..." said Regulus and headed back to his room.

 **o0o0o**

Sirius came back from classes at two o'clock to find his brother lounging on the couch reading a book. "So…" he said as he put his bag down. "How was your first day? Did you go out or do anything special?"

"No. I thought I would let you show me around. I don't really know anything about this place."

"Yeah, I can do that," smiled Sirius. "I don't have work today."

They walked down the street, crossed the railroad tracks, and Sirius pointed out a large store on the left. "Food Lion. That's the closest grocery store. We do most of our shopping there." A little farther down the street he pointed at another shop. "That book store over there – Ollivander's – that's where Remus works. We drop in on him from time to time just to hang out because he's the one of us who works the most. Well, he does a lot of work from home too, proofreading for students."

"Oh. Why do you all work? I mean, shouldn't you concentrate on your studying?" asked Regulus, a little puzzled.

"Well, we have to pay for food and the flat, don't we? And tuition isn't free, I can tell you that!" said Sirius.

"I get that _you_ need to work because you've been disowned," said Regulus, "but the others must have parents paying for them, no?"

"James and Peter's parents pay for them, but they still work a bit. James doesn't have to, because his family is loaded, but he does some tutoring anyway, although that's mostly for credit and the experience. James' parents actually pay half of my tuition as well. They wanted to pay all of it because they see me as their adopted son, but I didn't think that was fair, so we compromised on half. It helps a lot, but I still have to work to make ends meet. Remus works really hard because his parents are quite poor, so they can't help him economically at all. James has offered paying his share of the flat, but he's too proud to take it."

They stopped at an ice cream shop where Sirius bought two ice cream cones, and they went to sit down on a bench. "Remus doesn't sleep well lately because of stress and that's why I got so mad at you for demanding that the air-conditioner get fixed immediately. Remus is a people pleaser so things like that upset him."

"Well, I am your guest," Regulus mumbled and took a lick at his ice cream.

"This area is called Five Points, by the way," said Sirius. "Because –"

"Because five streets meet here," Regulus finished the sentence.

Sirius laughed. "Ever the sharp mind, aren't you, little brother? It's a nice area, with little shops and lots of cafes and restaurants. Always busy. Lots of young people too, because campus is right next to here." Sirius leaned back and watched a couple of girls crossing the street. He nodded in their direction, sending his brother a smirk. "Leave one of those behind back home?"

Regulus looked down at his knees. "No," he said quietly.

"Really? With your good looks?" said Sirius and raised his eyebrows. "I find that hard to believe."

"I don't have a problem catching birds, if that's what you mean," said Regulus, a little offended. "But I'm very selective, and no one has caught my interest recently."

"Okay," said Sirius. "Well, we have a good selection over here." He nodded towards the girls. "So... how come Mum and Dad let you travel all the way over here to see me of all people? I know you said they thought it would do you good to travel, but I find it hard to believe they would want you to have anything to do with me."

"They don't, but..." Regulus wrung his hands, considering what to say. "They thought I should go experience the world and learn some independence." He regretted that explanation as soon as he saw his brother's incredulous expression. Independence? If there was anything their parents did not want, was for their sons to be independent and think for themselves. But Regulus couldn't change his explanation now. "And... Well, when I told them I had chosen to visit you, they weren't happy, but... Well, I reminded them that they wanted me to become a bit independent so they should allow me to choose for myself."

"I see…" Sirius mumbled, still looking skeptical. "Well, what do you want to do now? There aren't really many tourist attractions around here. We should go to Charleston one of these days. There's lots to see and do. And Savannah, just across the border to Georgia. You're going to love those towns. Lots of history and beautiful architecture."

Regulus nodded. "I'd like to see some more things here too, though. I haven't been to the States before. It's quite different from Britain, so even mundane things are potentially interesting."

As they walked along the outer side of campus Regulus asked, "What about you? No girlfriend?" The wind blew his hair out of his face to gently caress his shoulder.

"None at the moment," said Sirius and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Not that I don't have plenty of offers."

"Yeah? Not a player anymore? You didn't hesitate taking advantage of your bird-appeal in high school."

Sirius grinned. "I had to grow up at some point, didn't I? No, truth is I'm not ready for a steady relationship. I'd much rather see what's out there, and when a bird eventually manages to nail me down, then I guess she's the lucky one. "

"So you _are_ a player? How often do you hook up?"

"Oh, I don't know…. Two or three times a month, I guess."

"Three times a _month_?" said Regulus, rather shocked. "You mean three times a month with different birds every time?"

"No, sometimes it's the same bird for a little while. It happens that we have such a good time that I see them again." Sirius swung an arm around his brother's shoulders. "You should let loose and land a few birds as well. Get some experience. It would do you good."

"Well, that's my business," mumbled Regulus. "What about your roommates? Does Remus have a girlfriend?"

"Remus? No, Remus isn't really... how do I put it… Remus isn't really into girls." Sirius scratched his neck, a little uncomfortable by the subject. He didn't know how Regulus felt about homosexuals.

"What do you mean? That he's too busy to chase birds?"

"No, you twat. I mean that he's gay."

Regulus stopped and stared at his brother.

"Is that a problem for you?" asked Sirius, narrowing his eyes. "You better not give Remus a hard time about it!"

"No, it's not a problem. I don't share _all_ Mother and Father's beliefs, you know. I was just surprised."

Sirius heaved a sigh "Good. I'm glad they haven't ruined you completely."

"So..." said Regulus a few minutes later as they passed the University bookstore. "When did he come out?"

"He didn't go public until last year, but he told me and James a few months after we'd all moved in together. He and Peter have known each other since childhood, so Peter already knew, of course. Remus was really nervous about it because he was afraid we didn't want to live with him anymore. But he doesn't have much self-confidence in general."

"How long has he known he's gay?"

Sirius shrugged. "Probably since he was a kid. I guess it's something you always know."

"Not always," said Regulus. "Sometimes you don't truly understand it until you're a teenager."

Sirius looked at his brother, a little surprised. "How would you know? Do you know any gay people?"

"No!" said Regulus, suddenly looking nervous. "It's just something you hear. And I read a lot, you know. So what about James and Peter. Any girlfriends?"

"James has a girlfriend – Lily. Great girl. Took him two years to land her but now they're really hitting it off. And Peter? He hasn't had anyone serious for a while. He isn't exactly bird-bait, if you know what I mean."

"Certainly. He has bad manners too. I like Remus the best so far." Regulus stopped outside a small store. "I could really use a drink. It's so bloody hot here!"

Sirius went inside to get them two sodas. "Yeah, Remus is great. You'll come to love him, I'm sure."

"Yuk," said Regulus, pulling a face after having taken a swig of his soda. He eyed the label. Welch's grape. "Is this supposed to be a fizzy drink? It tastes like... I don't know what - but not a fizzy drink!"

"It's not that bad. You should try new stuff when you're abroad," commented Sirius.

"It tastes like soap!" complained Regulus and poured it onto the ground. "It looks poisonous too," he said, eying the stark purple liquid on the ground.

"That was a perfectly good soda you just threw out!" said Sirius and took a large gulp of his own to prove a point. "Go buy something else if this isn't good enough for you."

Regulus came back out with a Diet Coke a little later. "At least I know what this is," he said, popping open the can. "They have weird things over here."

"Well, Americans think we have really weird things too," said Sirius, rolling his eyes as they continued down the street. He pointed out a restaurant and smiled. "I work over there. How about a late lunch?"

Regulus looked at him. "I suppose I could eat a bit. I only had a sandwich around noon. And I'd like to see where you work."

 **o0o0o**

They were greeted by a pretty African American girl at the counter. "Oh, Sirius," she smiled. "I didn't know you were working today."

"Hello, Marlene," Sirius greeted her. "Well, I'm not. I'm just showing my brother around and we decided to get lunch here."

"That's awesome!" She eyed Regulus with a curious gaze. "Well, welcome to America," she beamed at him.

"Hello," said Regulus and shook her hand. "I'm Regulus."

"Love the name. Oh, and how _cute_ are you!" She showed them to a table and gave Regulus a menu. "You just see what you like and I'll be right back to take your order in a minute, sugar," she smiled.

"You slept with her, didn't you?" asked Regulus when she had left.

Sirius looked surprised. "What? Why would you think that?"

"Because she's very pretty and you can charm the knickers off anyone," said Regulus, studying the menu.

"Hey – I don't go around seducing every bird I find attractive!"

Regulus raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Tell me you didn't sleep with her, then."

Sirius' insulted expression cracked into a grin. "All right, once. But she was the one scoring me. I was drunk and she took advantage of me."

Regulus snorted. "You poor thing."

Sirius leaned back in his chair. "I'm having the cheese burger with mushrooms and bacon. It's bloody good. What would you like?"

Regulus skimmed the menu. "It looks so fattening all of it. Even the salads."

"This is a nice place. I can guarantee that the food is good quality and not all of it is fattening," Sirius said and stuck out his chin. Clearly it was almost impossible to impress his brother.

Regulus ended up ordering a club sandwich and a cup of tea.

"Always remember to specify that you want _hot_ tea," said Sirius. "Down here 'tea' means sweet iced tea."

Regulus looked at him and then shook his head. "Bloody weird, these people."

Sirius smiled when Regulus got his steaming cup. "I forgot that's what we used to drink all the time."

"What?" said Regulus, his eyebrows raised. "You don't drink tea anymore? How can you not drink tea anymore? You're British, you know that, yes? You can't just throw you whole legacy away."

"I still drink tea but not as often as I used to. Mostly in the winter when it isn't so hot here."

"I couldn't survive without it. Then rather starve. Hey, where's the milk?" Regulus asked, looking into his tea and then around at the table.

"Americans don't usually take milk in their tea."

"Nutters..." Regulus spotted a middle-aged plump waitress walking by and he waved her over. "I would like some milk for my tea, please."

The woman looked at each brother in turn, clearly putting two and two together. "Sure, darlin'. I'll go get you some right away." She turned to Sirius and grinned. "And I thought _you_ had a British accent! Your brother's a real sweetheart. I just feel like pinching his cheek."

"You better not, Molly," said Sirius, practically seeing the steam rise out of Regulus' ears.

The woman laughed and went to get the milk for Regulus.

"How rude," said Regulus, looking affronted. "Talking to me as if I were a child."

"She's just being friendly," explained Sirius and took a bite of his burger. "Better get used to it. That's how women are here. Call you honey and sugar all the time. They mean well."

"Did you see Sirius got a visit from his little brother?" Marlene asked Emmeline, one of the other waitresses. "Look," she said, pointing at the brothers in the booth by the window.

"Yeah, I saw," Emmeline said and leaned over the counter to get a better look. "He's crazy cute. Must run in the family. How old do you think he is?"

"I don't know. Fifteen, maybe? We have to ask Sirius when he gets in next time."

"He's so _pretty_ ," sighed Emmeline. "I'd have a go at him if he was a bit older."

"He's a bit feminine for my taste," said Marlene, "but maybe he'll get more masculine, like Sirius. If he's only fifteen, then he still got some growing to do."

Sirius was telling Regulus about all the activities on campus. "James plays football a lot. You know - American football. Not real football. They call that soccer."

Regulus scoffed. "They take quite a few liberties, those Americans. Why do they call it football, anyway? They barely kick the ball. They hold or throw it. It's more like rugby for sissies, with all that protective gear."

Sirius laughed. "Yeah, but don't tell James that. He thinks he's bloody tough." Sirius pushed his plate away and leaned back, looking full and satisfied.

"So they have many sports teams?"

"Loads. Unis over here are big on sports. They even have some equestrian thing. Something for you, right?"

Regulus shook his head. He had been riding since he was nine, being rather successful in showjumping. "No... I had to put Polaris down last year, and I sort of lost interest after that. He was very special and I wasn't really up for trying to find a horse that could take his place."

"What? Why?" asked Sirius, looking stunned. He knew how serious Regulus had been about riding and how much he had loved his horse.

"Bad colic," mumbled Regulus. "Nothing to do..."

Sirius ran a hand through his hair, looking at his brother. "Blimey, I'm sorry, Reggie. I know how much that horse meant to you. But don't you think it would be good for you to get back in the saddle?"

"No. Riding is expensive – I mean time consuming," he quickly added. "And it's just not the same with another horse."

"I just don't want you to get bored while you're here. I work four days a week on top of studies. And exams are coming up. Of course you're welcome to come down here and sit and talk to me whenever it's not busy but I don't know how appealing that is to you. Remus is home often but he has a lot of proofreading work, so he isn't much company either."

"I'll figure something out. I can read a lot of books. I'm sure there's a big library here. And I run quite a lot to keep fit now that I don't ride any longer." Regulus looked out the window. He didn't want to talk more about horses. Selling Polaris a few weeks ago was the hardest thing he had ever had to do, but there was nothing for it. He couldn't just leave him in England and he needed as much money he could get. Polaris had earned him 8,000 pounds and they had gone into his savings account along with the money he had made from selling the other valuable possessions he had. He hoped they would last a good while. He would have to be careful with the money because he didn't know what to do when they were all spent.

 **o0o0o**

They left the restaurant and headed home. It was Sirius' turn to cook and he had some homework he had to get done as well. "Maybe you could fix dinner tonight?" he said, making puppy dog eyes at his brother. "Then I can get my homework done quicker and have time for you. Please?"

"You know I can't cook. Mother would never let me, even if I wanted to. Things like that are for servants."

"Well, you have to learn how to cook," said Sirius. "I didn't know either and if you ask the others, I still don't." He laughed. "Well, there's always pasta. Any idiot can boil some of that."

"I don't know how to make pasta either," Regulus mumbled, feeling incredibly useless. "Can't we just order take-out?"

Sirius looked at him and then nodded. "All right, I guess we could order a pizza today. Peter will love you for it. He hates my cooking."

Regulus rolled his eyes. "Oh, I would be thrilled to make him happy. Can't we get some healthy take-away? Sushi or something?"

"Oh, come on, Reggie - one pizza won't turn you into a pig, and American pizzas are ace."

Regulus sighed and agreed to the pizzas.

"Cheer up – Remus is a good cook, so you'll get good food every time it's his turn. You liked his lasagna fine, didn't you?"

"It was okay… Still doesn't beat Kreacher's cooking, though."

"Well, Kreacher learned from the stone age ape-men so naturally he knows how to use the right herbs and such," said Sirius. "I'm surprised that old git is still alive. "

"Don't call him a git!" snapped Regulus. "He practically raised you. And yes, he's still alive. Refuses to retire, too. Says the job is his whole life and we're his family."

"Raised me?" Sirius snorted. "He hated every second of it. He always slapped my hand with a spoon when I tried to take something. He always liked you better."

"Because I was nice to him. You were always rude and naughty."

"I was a special child. I didn't like being ordered around by that old git. He thought he could tell me what to do. When to take a bath, when to go to sleep, when to take a poop. You just obeyed like a good little boy. No wonder Mum and Dad always liked you better."

Regulus frowned. "I behaved like children are supposed to. Obey and honor their parents." Regulus had always craved his parents' praise and respect. That only made what had happened recently that much more painful.

"Yeah, yeah. I hope you'll let a little loose while you're here, though. No mum and dad to keep an eye on you. Besides, you're eighteen now, so you don't have to do anything they say anymore." They walked up the stairs to the apartment and Sirius stopped for a second with his hand on the door knob. "Just think about it. You're free to do whatever you want. Live a little."

"Yeah... Yeah, that's brilliant," said Regulus quietly.

 **o0o0o**

Peter and James were sitting on the couch watching TV. James had a Dr. Pepper in his hand and greeted the two as they entered the room.

A red-haired girl emerged from the kitchen. "Hey," she smiled when she spotted Regulus. "You must be Regulus! Oh, how cute you are!"

Regulus raised his eyebrows. Why did everybody say he was cute? And this girl - it sounded like she thought he was cute the way a child was. "I'm eighteen," he said stupidly, shaking her hand.

"Oh…" she said, looking surprised for a second. "James told me you were fourteen, but of course you're not. I can see that. He likes to joke." She shot her boyfriend a reproachful look. "I'm Lily."

"I don't look fourteen!" said Regulus. "I just have a young face. I shaved this morning."

James snickered cheekily and Regulus spun around to send him a glare.

"I only meant it as a compliment when I said you were cute," Lily said. "I meant that you're handsome. I just think James is jealous," she winked.

The door opened and Remus stepped inside, looking tired but smiling. "Hey, y'all," he said and put down his bag.

"I don't look fourteen," repeated Regulus, not ready to let it go. "Do I look fourteen?" his eyes fell on Remus, demanding an answer.

Remus was taken a little aback by the question and not sure what to answer. Regulus did look very young (although fourteen was a stretch) but it was clear that it bothered him, so he said, "Of course not. You look like someone in their late teens."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his friend and grinned. It was pretty clear that all Remus wanted was for Regulus' feelings not to get hurt.

"Thank you," said Regulus stiffly. He most definitely liked Remus the best of Sirius' friends.

"We're ordering pizza today," said Sirius. "It's my turn to cook so I say we order out."

Remus, who had been gazing at Regulus since he had come in, snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Sirius. "I don't have much money left for this month..." He looked slightly embarrassed, biting his lower lip. He knew the others could easily afford take-out but he only had twenty-five dollars left until his next paycheck, so he had to be careful with his money.

"Don't worry, Remus," said James. "Sirius' rich little brother just shipped in, so he can pay for all of us."

"W-what?" said Regulus.

"James!" scolded Lily.

"Easy, there. I was only pickin' with him," grinned James.

"Don't worry, we wouldn't expect you to pay for us," said Remus quickly, putting a hand on Regulus' shoulder.

"I'll pay for you," said Sirius. "It's my cooking day, so it's only fair I pay for being lazy."

"I just hate taking charity," Remus mumbled.

Regulus paid his share for the pizza and asked what his share of the rent would be.

"You're our guest," said Remus. "Surely you shouldn't pay rent."

"You can help pay the electric bill and water and gas since you use it as well," said Sirius.

Remus looked at him. "But he's our guest," he insisted.

"Well..." said Regulus. "I want to pay my share of rent and everything. It's only fair, especially if I'm staying for a while, which I might. Perhaps I will enroll in a few courses. If you don't mind me living here, that is..."

"Yeah? You might?" Sirius beamed.

Remus smiled as well. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. You really should."

"You can stay here as long as you like. Right lads?" Sirius said and looked around.

James shook his head but Lily pinched his thigh so he quickly started nodding instead.

"Wait –" said Sirius, looking confusedly at his brother as something dawned on him. "You can't have graduated yet – it's only April! Why aren't you home studying for your exams?" He couldn't believe he hadn't thought about this before.

"I…" said Regulus. "I graduated last year."

"What? No, you didn't! You're too young for that."

"I was moved up a year because I was acing all the tests and my teachers thought I needed more challenges."

Sirius eyed him incredulously. "Are you taking the piss?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" said Regulus indignantly (even though he was actually lying). "Do you think I'm too stupid for that?"

"Of course not. I know you're an intelligent swot, but I never heard of anyone being moved up a grade while I was at Eton."

"Well, just because you didn't hear of it doesn't mean they don't do it, does it? Besides, Mother and Father really had to push it to get the board to agree."

"Really?" said Sirius, still looking incredulous. "Well, what did you do the past ten months, then?"

"I've been taking a sabbatical year to consider what I want to study and to see a bit of the world."

"So where did you go before coming here?" asked Lily, looking very interested.

"Oh, mostly Europe. I've spent some months in Florence, Paris, and Stockholm respectively." Regulus felt confident about choosing these cities because he had actually spent quite some time there at some point in his life, so he would be able to lie convincingly in case they wanted details about the places.

To his relief the conversation was cut short by the delivery guy ringing the doorbell. James flew to the door to take the two large pizzas. "Keep the change, dude," he said before closing the door.

Regulus stared at the large piece Sirius slapped onto his plate. "Bloody hell! How much cheese is this? From a whole byre? There's got to be a whole day's worth of calories on this!"

"Do you ever stop complaining?" asked Peter.

"Do you want me to cook you something else?" Remus offered, seeing how disgusted Regulus looked by the pizza.

"Don't be such a gentleman, Remus," said Sirius and pushed the plate into Regulus' hands. "He can eat this. It tastes great, Reggie, and you don't exactly look like you need to watch your weight."

"So many calories," mumbled Regulus. "No wonder Americans are so fat."

"Go for a run afterwards if you're so scared of gaining a few ounces," grumbled Sirius and bit into his slice.

" _We_ ain't fat and we eat this pretty damn often because of your brother's cooking abilities," said James and opened a Coke for himself.

Regulus went into the kitchen to get some cutlery. He couldn't believe all the others were just eating that greasy pizza out of the box with their hands. He came back and started eating his piece neatly with his knife and fork.

The others stopped chewing and stared at him. "What's wrong with your brother?" James asked Sirius. "It's just pizza, dude, not a fancy dinner at the White House."

"I eat like a civilized person because that's what I am," said Regulus, unfolding a napkin in his lap.

Sirius closed his eyes and counted to ten. "Reggie - try for once to act like a normal teenager. You're not in a posh household anymore. You're in a flat with four collage blokes who are eating pizza with their hands and not folding bloody napkins in their laps!"

"Well, excuse me if I don't want to act like a pig and get my hands and nice clothes greasy."

"Learning a few dining manners wouldn't hurt you guys, actually," laughed Lily.

Regulus nodded, appreciating the support, and refrained from pointing out that she too was eating with her hands. Evidently it was normal behavior over here.

"So, Regulus," smiled Lily. "How do you like Columbia so far?"

Regulus shrugged. "I haven't seen much yet. Campus looks nice, though."

"It's very nice, yeah. I can show you around one of these days if you'd like," she offered.

"Perhaps," said Regulus. "Well - I'm going to turn in now. It's awfully late."

"It's just eight o'clock, dude," said Peter.

"Yeah, you really should stay up a few more hours," said Lily. "Otherwise it'll take you forever to get on Carolina time."

"Well, I'm exhausted, so I'm going to bed now."


	3. So You Don't Have a Boyfriend?

**Chapter 3 -** **So You Don't Have a Boyfriend?**

Early the next morning, Remus got up at six to do some last-minute studying before class and found a fully dressed Regulus at the kitchen table, stirring a cup of tea. "Good morning," Remus smiled. He was wearing his pajamas pants and a T-shirt, and his hair was a mess. He quickly tried to tame it by running his fingers through it a few times. Regulus looked as gorgeous as ever. Remus wasn't anywhere near done studying the young Brit; he could barely take his eyes off him. "You're up early. Couldn't sleep again?"

"Well... It's past noon for me, remember?" said Regulus. "And it's so hot. Night is bad, but when the sun comes up it's murder." Regulus was wearing jeans, since he didn't own a pair of shorts. He was starting to realize that he probably needed to go buy some.

Remus went to get a glass of milk and then sat down opposite Regulus. "Yeah, it's pretty hot today," he agreed and looked out at the sun, which was still low in the sky. "We'll get the air conditioner fixed soon so you can get a good night's sleep."

"Do you have anything I can eat for breakfast?" asked Regulus. "I could only find tea..."

"Of course," said Remus and got up to look though the cabinets. "We got cereal…." he said and opened the fridge, "…and eggs and bacon and bread so you can pretty much have what you like. I think Peter went shopping yesterday so we'd have some different stuff."

Regulus had seen the bacon and eggs and was quite tempted, but he was embarrassed to admit that he didn't know how to cook them. "Well... If _you_ would like some eggs and bacon, I wouldn't mind some as well..."

Remus smiled at him. "Okay, I'll cook us some breakfast," he nodded and pulled out a frying pan.

They both sat down to eat at the kitchen table when Remus was done cooking fifteen minutes later.

"It's very good," said Regulus as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

Remus' stared at the plump lips, almost feeling jealous of the napkin. "You know... I could teach you how to cook some simple things if you'd like?" he offered.

"Oh... I can cook simple things," Regulus lied, "but I suppose it wouldn't hurt learning some more advanced stuff." Regulus liked the idea of having a good excuse to spend some more time alone with the young man he found very interesting indeed.

"Well, it'd be my pleasure teaching you. I'm pretty sure they'll have you cooking dinner once in a while like the rest of us," he smiled and rested his chin on his hand. "So you're thinking about staying a while?"

"Yes," said Regulus, sprinkling a bit of salt on his tomatoes. "I feel like I need a long break from the UK."

"Yes, you mentioned that last night. I'm sure Sirius would love for you to stay here. He's missed you a whole lot."

"What are you reading?" asked Regulus, leaning forward to get a look at Remus' books. "King Lear… Antony and Cleopatra…"

"Yeah," said Remus, blushing slightly when Regulus' head got so close he could smell the raspberry scented conditioner in his hair. "It's…" Oh no – now he was envisioning the boy washing his long hair, naked in the shower. "I… I love Shakespeare. His writing style and his complex characters. All that. I always wanted to see one of his plays but I never got the chance. Well, I've seen a few amateur plays, but none with professional actors."

"Really?" said Regulus. "I've seen loads. They run in London all the time. I've seen some of the best performances with the best actors. Ian McKellan, Kenneth Brennagh, Judy Dench, you name them."

"Wow... you're so lucky!" said Remus and looked up, his gaze locking onto Regulus' eyes. They were a very dark shade of gray, like stormy oceans Remus feared he could drown in. "I wish I could go to London and see a play like that sometime," he whispered.

"You should," said Regulus, not breaking eye contact. "So you don't have a boyfriend?" it slipped out before he could stop himself. "Sirius told me you're gay. I hope it's alright. He said it wasn't a secret."

Remus gulped. "N-no, it's no secret. You had to know at some point, I reckon, so why not now?" He leaned back and ran his fingers through his hair. "I haven't had a boyfriend in almost a year and I've kinda given up on it. I reckon I'm not boyfriend material," he said with a short laugh and then shook his head.

"Why?" asked Regulus, surprised. He couldn't see why not. Remus might not be model material but he was definitely not bad-looking and he seemed so nice and interesting. "Are you very selective?"

"Not really. As long as they're nice and have a good personality. I don't care much about looks. Not that I'd mind a good-looking fellah, but that's not important." Remus rested his chin on a hand and sighed. "I reckon I've just gotten a bit guarded. The last one I went out with was a piece of work. He was actually bordering on abusive. Sirius had to tell him to back off or he'd call the cops on him."

"Oh," said Regulus, disappointed. He knew his looks were his forte – not his personality. He could be difficult to be around, he knew that. Not that he wanted to get involved with Remus (or anyone, for that matter) so there was really nothing to be disappointed over. "So you're not attracted to good-looking blokes at all? Someone like… say… my brother? I mean, his looks. Not him."

Remus looked up. "Your brother? Um... yeah, he's very attractive, but he ain't into guys and he's my friend so I'd never go for him! I never had a crush on him, either." Remus looked at Regulus again and felt butterflies flap around in his stomach. It was true that he had never had a crush on Sirius, who was very handsome in a sexy, masculine way. Regulus, however, was a different story. He had an incredibly pretty – almost girlish – face, perfectly sculpted in delicate features, dark eyes under long lashes, black hair falling in a perfect cascade down to caress his slim shoulders. Yes, Remus was clearly not unaffected by beauty, as he liked to believe. He had only just met Regulus and here he was, head over heels for the boy already. What was wrong with him?

"So if you're so much into personality, how come you made such a bad judgement with your last boyfriend?" asked Regulus.

"I dunno," said Remus, feeling rather stupid. "He had me fooled, I reckon. He seemed so nice at first and then turned out to be a real nut job."

"How did people react when you came out?"

"My dad was a bit shocked a first but said he loved me anyway. Mama just laughed and said she'd known since I was little; she was just waiting for me to come out and say it. Peter was the first one I told and he was super supportive. Sirius and Jamie just said that then there were more chicks for them. A few of my friends are no longer my friends, but most have been really nice about it, actually. Bit of a surprise, really. I'd feared worse."

"Well, that's not bad. I know someone who's gay and when he was found out, his parents disowned him. The rest of his family too. And his boyfriend didn't want anything to do with him."

"That's awful!" exclaimed Remus. "Do you still talk to him? Is he alright? Poor guy. And his boyfriend left him as well when he needed him the most? What an idiot!"

"Well... I do talk with him once in a while, although now we're so far apart, so... I don't know him that well, though."

"You should keep up the contact," insisted Remus. "He needs a friend right now after what happened to him." Remus shook his head. "I can't believe people can be so cruel. But he's lucky to have you." Remus smiled and reached out to touch Regulus' shoulder gently.

Regulus looked at the hand on his shoulder and then back at Remus, suddenly feeling a little flustered. "The eggs are nicely done," he said. "Almost as good as our Kreacher used to make them."

"What's a kreacher?" Remus asked and quickly removed his hand when realizing he had left it there.

"Oh, Kreacher is the surname of our butler back home. He has worked for our family since he was very young, and his mother before him. I'm surprised Sirius hasn't spoken of him. He has always liked to slag him off whenever he could. They never liked each other."

"No, he never spoke of anyone named Kreacher. As a matter of fact he never spoke about his home life back in the UK at all." Remus bit his lip. "I think it hurt too much, really. Whenever we asked him he just said he didn't wanna talk about it."

"Oh?" said Regulus, genuinely surprised. "He must have told you _something_. You must have wondered why he came here and never had any contact with his family."

"He just said his family was horrible and that he didn't want to talk about it so I didn't ask any more. But maybe the thing that hurt him was the lack of contact with you? I didn't even know he had a brother until you sent him that e-mail saying you were coming to stay. Well, Jamie must have known, of course, since Sirius moved over here to live with him and his family."

Regulus looked at Remus in surprise. "Really? Or maybe I just wasn't important enough to think or talk about!"

"I don't think that's the case," Remus said.

"Actually, it's because I never heard from you," Sirius' voice sounded and both boys looked up. The older Black stood in the doorway, his arms crossed, looking a little irritated. "You never answered my mails so I never spoke of you because there was nothing to tell. I knew nothing about you anymore, and until a few weeks ago when you wrote, I hadn't talked to you for five years."

"You could have told them I existed!" said Regulus, quite hurt by the information.

"I could," nodded Sirius. "And _you_ could have answered my bloody mails instead of ignoring me for five years! Don't you think it was hard to leave you behind? And then you ignore me when I write you and explain? I knew you would be okay – I mean, Mum and Dad loved you and you had Kreacher too. But you pretended I didn't exist for five years and now you sit and whinge about me not telling my friends about you?"

"Oh yes, they loved me so much, my life has been a flaming dance on roses," Regulus scoffed. "You think it feels good to be abandoned? Thrown away because you're not a good enough brother? You were the one who left _me_ \- why should I bother answering your little mails of guilt just to clear your conscience?"

"What do you mean, thrown away? I'm sorry I left you but as I explained I had to get out of that house! And when Jamie's parents invited me to come to the States I couldn't let that chance slip. What did you want me to do, eh? Take you with me? You were 13! It would have been kidnapping! And you wouldn't have wanted to come, anyway. You were happy being the golden child living in luxury."

Regulus jumped to his feet, suddenly very angry. "You weren't there, so you don't know anything about my life, so you just shut up about how bloody brilliant it was!" he yelled. Then he stormed into the hallway, jammed his feet into his sneakers and slammed the front door as hard as he could on his way out.

Remus looked at Sirius with wide eyes.

Sirius sighed and sat down, starting to eat Regulus' eggs. "I dunno what he's so upset about. Mum and Dad love him. They were always doting on him and telling me what a good son he was compared to me."

"Mm..." hummed Remus and looked out the window. He wondered if that was all there was to it.

"What the hell is going on here?" said James, coming into the kitchen, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He was dressed only in a pair of small briefs and his hair was sticking out in all directions.

"Just my brother throwing a fit," said Sirius.

"You really should go after him," said Remus. "He doesn't know his way 'round yet and could get lost."

"He knows the address and people speak English here so he'll be alright," said Sirius and got up to get a glass of orange juice.

"Temper runs in the family, eh?" said James, a cheeky smile playing on his lips. "What was he pissed off about?"

Sirius told him.

"So he's mad because you didn't tell us a bunch of stuff about him, or what?"

"Yeah... and I bet he would have gotten mad had I told you stuff about him as well," sighed Sirius.

"He seems very high-maintenance," said James and sat down, stealing a piece of bacon from Sirius' (Regulus') plate. "He must've been a difficult child. I bet your parents are relieved to be rid of him."

"Hardly. He was always the perfect son, always behaving precisely as was expected of him."

"Well, he hasn't exactly been a gentleman since he came here," said James. "Maybe he transformed into one of them teenage monsters and your parents kicked him out as soon as he turned eighteen and they could legally do it. Maybe that's why he came here."

"I highly doubt he would want to come all the way here for that," said Sirius. "I mean, he could get a great flat in London with all his money."

Remus got up. He didn't like that they talked about Regulus behind his back like this. "I'm gonna go take a shower," he said.

 **o0o0o**

Regulus walked at a brisk pace for a whole hour until he had calmed down enough to take a rest. He looked around. He didn't recognize anything, although he had looped back at some point, not wanting to get too far away. Well, he knew the address and he wasn't going home for a while, anyway. Not until he was sure Sirius had left. Regulus wasn't sure when he had classes, but he had said he had to work that afternoon so if Regulus went back around then, it should be alright.

Just then he heard someone call his name and he turned his head to see a girl come running towards him. It was Lily.

"Hi," she smiled and brushed her long red hair back. "You're out early. Out for a walk?"

"Yes. Couldn't sleep, so... thought I'd get some fresh air," said Regulus.

"Ah, yes. You still have jetlag, I imagen. Wanna walk with me? My first class ain't for another hour and a half so I got time to show you around if you want? I was planning to do some studying at the library before class, but I can do that later."

"Er... I suppose." Regulus thought he might as well accept her offer, since he did not plan on going back for a while. "What's your major?" he asked as they entered the main building a bit later.

"History," said Lily and waved to a few students that walked by. "How 'bout you? What would you like to study?"

"Oh, um... I'm not sure yet. I will have to think about that." He couldn't tell her that he had not gotten his final exams. He had been taken out of the boarding school when he was disowned. Also, he truly didn't know which education he would like when he got that far. It had always been in the cards that he should go to business school, because he was the heir to the family company, but as things were now he didn't much feel like studying that.

They walked into the courtyard and Lily spotted a greasy-haired young man with a crooked nose standing by the main building. She smiled and waved him over. "Hey, Severus."

The man came over, his eyes scanning Regulus.

"Regulus, this is Severus, an old friend of mine. Severus, this is Regulus, Sirius' younger brother. He might start studying here."

"Oh, goodie. Another Black to spoil my existence," drawled Severus as if the words tasted foul in his mouth. Then he gave Lily a quick nod before leaving.

Regulus raised his eyebrows. "Not a fan of Sirius, I see."

"I'm afraid not," said Lily. "James and Sirius have been pretty mean to Severus. They're all majoring in chemistry. Severus is very gifted and apparently that's a crime. James finally let up because he realized he didn't stand a chance with me otherwise."

"They're bullying other students?" said Regulus incredulously. "That's something children do! How pathetic."

"I agree," nodded Lily. "But Severus and them two just never got along. I think James was jealous." She started showing Regulus around the school. Showed him where his brother studied and where she studied. "And there's the English department. Remus should be arriving soon," she said and checked her watch. "He's usually here a good half hour in advance."

"He seems very studious," said Regulus. "Have you known him for long?"

"Remus? Yeah, I've known him the longest. About six years, I reckon."

"So you've known him before college! Are you both from South Carolina?"

"We're both from here - Columbia," she smiled, "so we're used to that heat you dread so much. "We went to high school together. Remus is a real nice guy, and the tidiest person in that hole of an apartment you live in. Not that it's a bad place when I call it a hole, but you know... five guys living under the same roof and it's bound to get messy."

"I agree. And I certainly _would_ call it a hole. Not exactly what I expected when I moved here. They don't even have a house keeper." They reached a canteen and Regulus stopped. "Would you mind if I got something to eat? I left without finishing my breakfast."

 **o0o0o**

Remus was the first one to arrive home and he found Regulus sleeping on the couch with the fan standing next to him, thin strands of hair fluttering in the air from the fan. He couldn't help standing studying the incredibly pretty sleeping face. Remus thought he would never get tired of looking at it. He smiled as he finally tore himself away and tiptoed into the kitchen with his homework and sat down. Every now and then he leaned in over the table to sneak peeks at Regulus.

Regulus woke to the door being slammed open. Sirius and James barged in, playfighting their way through the apartment and landed on the couch where Regulus squealed and struggled to get up.

"What the hell?"

"Oh, didn't see you there, mate," laughed Sirius and sat up. "Finally getting some sleep, I see. Well, you'll be glad to know that we're getting the air conditioner fixed tomorrow," he said, ruffling Regulus' hair and used his head as a pillar to get up from the couch.

Regulus had just been about to chew out his brother and roommate but the good news about the air conditioner cheered him up, so he just grumbled, "Try to control yourselves, yeah? You're 21, not 11."

"Yes, Mother," said Sirius and grinned before going to the kitchen and retrieving a slice of leftover pizza from the fridge.

* * *

 **A/N: We hope you're enjoying the story. Just one more chap to go until the first of many smut chapters is coming up (chap 5). We know you're looking forward to that ;)**


	4. It'll Be Loads of Fun

**Chapter 4 – It'll Be Loads of Fun**

A good month had passed and Regulus seemed to have settled in okay in the apartment, even having come to terms with the fact that they didn't have a housekeeper. However, he was quite a challenge for the others, being very high maintenance – as James put it when he had to say it politely. Also, the brothers were fighting a lot.

"What do you mean, the food I bought isn't good enough?" Sirius barked and slammed the fridge door closed. "It's good enough for everyone else! If you don't like it then why don't you do the shopping for once? You haven't done it once since you got here!"

"It's junk! It's a wonder you lads aren't all blobs of lard. And there are so many things you can't get here. I would kill for some marmite..."

James made a retching sound. "That stuff is the most disgusting thing I ever tasted! Sirius had some once. No sane person would willingly put that in their mouth."

Remus hated it when everyone ganged up on Regulus (although, to be fair, Regulus was usually the one starting it). "Maybe we could get a little bit of everything so everyone is happy?" he suggested. "I mean, Regulus is also chipping in for food so it's only fair that he gets a say."

"Alright, I'll go shopping," said Regulus moodily. He still tried to worm his way out of cooking when he could, both because he thought it was a bit beneath him but mostly because he was embarrassed that he couldn't even boil an egg. Remus had been so kind to offer to help him on the few occasions he had agreed to cook, and that was nice, especially because Regulus very much liked spending time with him alone. He was drawn to Remus, both because he was nice and interesting, and because Regulus found him quite attractive. It was such a pity that he couldn't make a move, but he just wasn't ready to come out to his brother and friends. It had been a catastrophe when he had been outed back home. Not that he thought he would be treated like that here – seeing that the others were perfectly fine with Remus being gay – but Regulus just couldn't deal with it right now. Also, it would no doubt lead to questions about how his parents were taking it. Sirius knew them, after all.

"Want me to tag along?" offered Remus.

"Alright. If you want," shrugged Regulus, trying to sound as if he didn't really care if Remus came or not.

 **o0o0o**

In the store Remus asked Regulus if there was a particular British dish he would like to cook.

"Shepherd's pie would be brilliant," said Regulus. "But I forgot the recipe..."

"I've never tried it," said Remus. "But we could find a recipe on the internet, I'm sure. Is it difficult to make?"

"Um, a little," said Regulus, having no idea how it was made.

"Do you want to cook with me?" Regulus asked as they walked home. "Just so you can learn how to make it yourself. In case you like it."

"Sure," smiled Remus. "I'd love to help."

 **o0o0o**

"Shepherd's pie?" said Sirius when they came home. "Sounds good! I haven't had that in years. Too bad it's you who's cooking, though. It probably won't taste right."

"Well, you aren't getting any with that attitude!" snapped Regulus. "Of course it will turn out right. I'm British, aren't I?"

"That doesn't mean you're born with the ability to cook British dishes," said Sirius. "And your record so far isn't impressive. Your food has only been edible because Remus helped."

"Well, if you don't like my food, then don't eat it!" growled Regulus at his brother. "I'm not forcing it down your throat."

"Give him a break, Sirius," said Remus, actually getting a little irritated with his friend. "It ain't like you're the master chef here either. He'll do fine. Just give him a chance."

"Fine. I can't wait to taste the result," said Sirius and went into the living room, slumping down on the couch next to Peter, swinging his feet up on the coffee table.

Furiously, Regulus slammed the door to the kitchen behind him. "Bloody wanker," he mumbled. He could see Remus looked uncomfortable. He always tried to make peace when someone was arguing.

Remus unpacked the grocery bags and placed the ingredients for the pie on the counter. "Don't let him get to you. He just likes to push your buttons," he said and sent Regulus a smile. He had noticed the past month that that was exactly what Sirius often did. He wasn't sure if it was something he did unconsciously or on purpose.

"Yeah. You'd think he had grown out of that, wouldn't you?" said Regulus. He took out his smartphone and found the recipe they had shopped for. If they followed it closely then perhaps it would turn out okay.

Remus leaned in so he could read the instructions as well. It was a good excuse to get close to Regulus. "If you chop the onions and carrots I'll peel the potatoes. When you're done chopping we'll brown it with the lamb." He found two pots and a large ovenproof dish, then put water in one of the pots and turned on the stove before starting on the potatoes.

Regulus watched Remus as he worked, not really hearing what he said. He liked watching him. When he dropped a potato on the floor and bent down to pick it up, Regulus' eyes were glued to his bottom. A very cute bottom, he thought, especially at this moment. Remus turned his head as he straightened up and Regulus' eyes snapped up, hoping to God the other boy hadn't noticed him staring.

Remus plopped the potatoes into the boiling water and dried his hands in a tea towel. "There." He leaned against the counter and smiled at Regulus.

Regulus tried not to look too blatantly but he couldn't help himself. He had become increasingly taken with Remus since he came, until it had become very frustrating living with him without being able to even tell him he was gay. He knew Remus desired him (that was pretty clear with how he was practically devouring Regulus with his eyes and how he blushed every time they got eye contact), so Regulus would only need to reach out and take what he wanted – but there was a price for that which he wasn't prepared to pay.

Remus forgot to breathe for a moment, surprised and very turned on. Regulus' face was just a few feet from his and he was looking at him with those dark gray eyes. Remus swore they were even darker than usual. Suddenly he couldn't control himself any longer; he stepped forward, grabbed Regulus' face with both hands, and pressed his lips to his in a desperate kiss. The boy seemed to freeze in shock but then his hands grasped Remus shirt and pulled him closer while kissing back enthusiastically. Remus' brain shut down, heat pulsing through his body and his senses going on overdrive.

Suddenly the door opened and they jumped away from each other. Remus quickly checked the potatoes as if nothing had happened.

"Do we got anymore chips?" asked Peter and went to one of the cabinets.

"We're cooking! You can eat chips after dinner if you're still hungry by then!" Remus barked and pushed Peter out the door. "Now get out!"

Looking shocked, Peter left and the door was slammed behind him.

 **o0o0o**

"What - did the little demon bite your head off?" laughed James as he saw the perplexed Peter returning from the kitchen.

"No. It was Remus..."

"Remus?" said Sirius, looking incredulous. Peter sat down, looking miserable, and Sirius put an arm around him. "Don't take it so hard, Pete. Remus is probably just tired and cranky from that huge workload and now he has to cook dinner twice a week as well because he needs to help my brother so he doesn't burn the place down. Also, it must be quite a strain having to work with Mr. high maintenance."

"Still... I didn't do nothing," mumbled Peter.

 **o0o0o**

They didn't speak except about the food while they continued cooking. Regulus was embarrassed. Had he really just kissed Remus? What kind of idiot was he? He didn't need this. Hadn't he had enough trouble with it at home? When Remus gathered plates and cutlery to lay the table, Regulus stopped him. "Er... Don't tell the others, yeah?"

Remus looked at him for a moment and then nodded, feeling his stomach drop. "Sure... I won't say nothing,' he said and took the plates to the living room.

James stopped Remus on the way and asked him what had happened in the kitchen. "You kinda hurt Pete's feelings."

"I'm sorry, but we worked really hard on this food so he shouldn't go stuffing his face with chips right before dinner."

James reached out to touch Remus' forehead. "Are you feeling sick, Remus? You look flushed. I tell you, you're working too hard."

Remus felt himself blush even harder. He nodded. "I might should go to bed early and get a good night's sleep. Maybe that'll help."

They started eating, but Regulus was no longer interested in Sirius' reaction. He could only think of the kiss and how good it had been. It had sent the blood hammering through his veins.

"This is bloody good, actually," said Sirius in surprise and took another bite of the pie. "Well done. Almost as good as the ones Kreacher used to make."

"Thanks," hummed Regulus. It wasn't too bad, he thought, although he had to admit that Kreacher's was still a good deal better.

"Anyone wanna go to a party on campus?" asked James as he returned from the kitchen with a couple of beers. "Gideon told me about it. I'd nearly forgotten."

"Totally!" beamed Peter.

Remus snapped out of his daydream about Regulus and looked over at James. "I really should get to bed early or at least get some work done."

"Oh, come on, Remus. It'll be fun!" said Sirius and slapped him on the shoulder. "And Reggie – you've _got to_ join us. It'll be loads of fun!"

Regulus bit his lip and glanced at Remus, then back at Sirius. "Er..."

"Come on, Reggie," said Sirius excitedly. "I've never been out partying with you! I don't even know what kind of partyer you are; if you're the quiet bloke in the corner or dancing on the bar."

"I'm neither, thank you very much," said Regulus.

"Don't be such party poopers, you two," said James.

"Alright," sighed Remus and glanced nervously at Regulus, hoping that he would come as well.

"Brilliant!" beamed Sirius and then turned to send pleading eyes at his brother.

"Okay. If it makes you happy," said Regulus.

 **o0o0o**

After dinner they all started getting ready. Regulus was in his room deciding which clothes to wear when his brother stuck his head in and tossed him a towel. "Bathroom's free now if you need it."

Regulus decided to wear nothing but the towel around his waist on his walk through the apartment to the bathroom, hoping that Remus was in the living room. Regulus didn't know why he suddenly felt like showing off. He had always been a very discrete person, but for some reason he really felt like tempting Remus.

Remus looked up from the book he was reading when Regulus pranced through the living room, and his jaw nearly hit the floor. It took a moment before he realized how much he was staring, and he quickly raised his book to hide his blushing face.

James and Sirius laughed as soon as Regulus had closed the door to the bathroom.

"Like what you see, Remus?" asked James. "Since I'm straight as a nail I couldn't tell how hot he is, but judging from the color on your face I'd say it's _very_."

Remus gulped, still hiding behind the book. Was he really that obvious?

"Of course he's hot," said Sirius. "He's my brother."

"You're so full of it," said James and threw a pillow at Sirius.

"Hey -" said Sirius suddenly. "Why don't you gawk at _me_ like that when I walk around the flat half-naked?"

"He's been desensitized, dude,"" said James. "When you've seen something a thousand times it gets old."

"Are you telling me that this body is getting old?" said Sirius, pointing to his own chest.

"That's what I'm saying," grinned James and tried to make a run for it, but Sirius was on him in a second.

Remus had to jump for his life not to get squashed under them as them stumbled onto the couch.

"Remus likes the young and fresh model," gasped James, struggling for breath while Sirius was pressing him into the couch. "He doesn't want second hand goods. Is your brother a virgin? Fresh meat, Remus," he grinned.

Remus felt his face turn even redder so he left the living room to go find some clothes so he was ready to take a shower when Regulus was done.

"I don't know if he's a virgin," said Sirius, finally letting James go and sitting up straight. "It wouldn't surprise me."

"Really?" said Peter. "He's 18! And good looking, too, so scoring must be easy for him. Why would he be a virgin?"

"Because he's uptight," said Sirius "He refuses to talk about birds when I ask him about it. And you know Emmeline from the diner? She's pretty hot, but he turned her down the other day when she'd finally picked up the courage to ask him out."

"Maybe she just ain't his type. Maybe he got standards, unlike you who'll jump anything in a skirt," grinned James, backed up by applause from Peter.

Sirius stuck out his tongue.

"I wonder what his type _is_ ," speculated James. "Maybe we'll find out tonight at the party."

"Yeah. It would be good for him to hook up with someone. Maybe that would loosen him up a bit," said Sirius and leaned back on the couch.

Peter nodded. "Yup. That would definitely be doing us a favor."

Regulus came out from the bathroom half an hour later, buttoning up his royal blue satin shirt, his hair shining black and falling in perfect cascades around his face.

"What the hell took you so long?" growled Sirius, who had knocked on the door and yelled for him to hurry up several times the past twenty minutes.

"I had to make myself presentable for the event, didn't I?"

"You're not a bird," said Sirius. "Only birds and homos take that long in front of the mirror. No offence, Remus."

"Well, Sirius, it takes a long time getting a clean shave when you have such a heavy beard growth," James grinned, knowing how it bothered the younger Black when hinted at how young he looked.

Remus eyed Regulus in admiration, wishing the others weren't there so he could tell him how amazing he looked in that shirt, and maybe even ask for another kiss.

"Hurry and take a shower, Remus," said Sirius. "Thanks to Reggie you only have ten minutes."

 **o0o0o**

There were a lot of people at the party and a cheerful atmosphere. They found a table in the middle of the action where many of James' and Sirius' study-mates were sitting. Regulus was impressed with just how many people seemed to know the two, but then again, he had to admit that they both seemed to have an aura of charisma around them; especially when they were together. Sirius had always been like that, Regulus remembered from school back when he was in the early grades and Sirius one of the big kids.

"That's my brother, Regulus," Sirius informed a girl who was smiling at Regulus.

"He's really cute! You can totally tell he's your little brother," she said and fluttered her lashes at Regulus.

Remus felt a knot form in his stomach. He was sitting next to Regulus, but the girl squeezed herself in between them, forcing Remus to scoot over.

More girls payed attention to Regulus.

"Oh, Sirius - why didn't you bring him sooner?"

"I love your accent – it so British!"

"Yes, it would be strange if I spoke Australian when I'm from London," commented Regulus.

Remus sat moodily sipping at his beer. _Well he kissed me and not you stupid girls_.

"So are you as good as your brother?" flirted a short brunette leaning toward Regulus. She was one of many girls who had had a fling with Sirius.

"Of course I am," said Regulus before realizing what she meant by _good_.

"Wanna show me?" she said and leaned even closer.

"No, he doesn't!" Remus blurted. The girl turned her head to look at him in surprise.

"I said I was as _good_ as Sirius," said Regulus, pleased with Remus' apparent jealousy, "Not that I was as _promiscuous_ as him."

"Well, I would still like a go," said the girl and puffed her lips. She was quite drunk, that was clear. Peter was staring at her. Or rather at her cleavage.

Remus almost couldn't take it. He just wanted to push the girl away from Regulus and take him for himself.

"I'm not a ride at an amusement park!" said Regulus harshly, having had enough of the girl's antics. "There - have a go at Peter," he said, giving her a push in Peter's direction. "I think he's dying to give you a ride. For free and everything."

Peter caught the girl as she stumbled into his lap and sent Regulus a grateful smile.

Remus was glad that Regulus had rejected her but still needed a little break, so he got up and went to get another drink at the bar.

"I think I'll have another drink," said Regulus and got to his feet. "Better have Remus buy it for me." It was a good excuse because Regulus wasn't 21 and he didn't look anywhere near it, either.

Remus sat causally at the bar stirring a drink when he spotted Regulus approaching him. "Hey," he smiled at the young Brit. "Can I buy you a drink?"

Regulus nodded. "Gin and tonic, please." He handed Remus a couple of dollars. "What are you having?"

"Vodka and juice."

"What's up with you, anyway?" asked Regulus. "You seem... I don't know. Upset."

"I'm not upset," said Remus and bit his lip. "I just... well... That girl hanging on you like that… she just got on my nerves."

Regulus smiled to himself. He knew it, of course, but he enjoyed hearing it, nevertheless. "Well... I didn't lead her on, did I, now?"

"No, you didn't, but she was still annoying," mumbled Remus. "She really wanted you."

"Yes, that was obvious. American birds are so pushy!"

"Yeah... when they see something they want they ain't shy about it," Remus sighed and took a large gulp of his drink before putting the glass down. "Well... let's go back to the others before they start wondering where we went."

They found Peter trying his best to charm the short brunette, and Sirius flirting heavily with a blonde girl with a pixie cut. James was entertaining a group of freshmen with a tall tale about something that had happened in his first year.

"Doesn't seem like they missed us all that much," smiled Remus and looked at Regulus as they sat down at the table. He leaned toward Regulus and asked: "How's the drink?"

"Good. Very British," said Regulus. He missed home terribly and that was part of the reason he made such an effort to find British food and drink. "Americans aren't big fans of G & T, are they?"

Remus shook his head. "I never had one," he said and wondered how it would taste on Regulus' luscious lips.

"Have a try," said Regulus and handed Remus his glass.

Remus took a sip and licked his lip before handing the glass back to Regulus. "It's not bad," he smiled.

Regulus watched his lips as he licked them. He was getting a bit drunk and it made him want Remus. A lot. He finished his drink and stood up. "Lads - I think I'll go home. Didn't sleep much last night."

"Already?" said Sirius and looked at his watch.

"Yes, I'm tired."

"I'll walk you home," said Remus. "I'm pretty beat too." He looked at the others. "All that work I've been doing lately, you know…"

Regulus had counted on Remus leaving as well. It was clear that they were on the same page.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks to Guest for the review :)

Sorry for being such a tease and cutting right here, but the chapter was getting long...


	5. I Want You

**A/N:** So we decided that you had waited long enough, so we're posting chapter 5 a day early :) We hope you like it.

Zayhad has made a lovely piece of art for this one - go to her deviantart account. It's in the folder named "Every Breath You Take" at the very bottom (left).

* * *

 **Chapter 5 – I Want You**

It was only a ten minutes' walk back to the apartment. The temperature was rather high and the cicadas were chirping away happily. "It sure is hot tonight," said Regulus.

"Yeah," said Remus, running a hand through his hair. "Good thing the AC is working in the apartment now. Otherwise we wouldn't get any sleep tonight." Remus drew in a breath of air and closed his eyes for a moment. His head was buzzing from the alcohol; he didn't know why he had drunk so much. He rarely did. He didn't like the feeling of losing control of himself.

Regulus locked the door when they got back, knowing the others had a key. When he turned around, he found Remus standing just a few feet from him, eying him like a puppy begging for scraps. Regulus suddenly grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him in for a greedy kiss. He was rock hard and pressed himself against Remus to let him know it. Sober, he would never have been this forward, but although only slightly intoxicated it was enough to send his inhibitions out the window. He had been attracted to Remus for so long and had walked around him every day doing nothing about it.

Remus let out a surprised gasp but then slung his arms around Regulus' waist, clinging to him desperately, and opened his mouth to welcome Regulus' aggressive tongue. Remus had not picked up on the Brit being gay until that day, and here he was, kissing him like there was no tomorrow.

Letting go of neither Remus' shirt nor lips Regulus walked him down the hall until they reached the first room (Regulus'), into which he pushed him. There he let go of him for a moment to lock the door behind them.

Remus was on him in an instant, pressing the younger boy against the door, attacking his neck with lips and tongue, teeth scraping over smooth skin, while pushing his hips forward into him. Regulus' head tilted back, bumping against the door as his eyes rolled back in their sockets. "Bloody hell, Remus," he gasped in a wanton tone as he curled his fingers in a handful of Remus' hair.

Remus dipped his head to the crook of Regulus' neck. In his arousal he was about to just rip the boy's shirt open, wanting to suck and lick the entire length of that sexy collarbone, but then hesitated, not wanting to ruin the blue shirt that suited Regulus better than any other piece of clothing Remus had seen him in; so he quickly fumbled the two top buttons open, enough to allow him to push the fabric off Regulus' shoulder so he could ravish the beforementioned clavicle. He could hear Regulus' breathing quicken as Remus licked and sucked on his heated skin. Wanting more, Remus pushed Regulus' shirt up and with the boy's help pulled it over his head. He stared at the exposed chest, for a moment. "Holy… you're gorgeous," he exclaimed, and let his hands roam the skin, smooth and absolutely perfect. Then he slowly sank to his knees, lips trailing down Regulus' chest to his flat belly.

"F-fuck," gasped Regulus, his hips bucking forward in search of friction.

"Oh God, Regulus… I want you!" whimpered Remus, lips against the boy's stomach.

Regulus stopped moving, then said in a husky voice. "Then take me."

Remus' mind blanked out for a second. Then he got to his feet, eyes meeting Regulus' blazing gaze. "Bed," he croaked.

Regulus obeyed, throwing himself on the bed, quickly kicking off his shoes on the way there. Shimmying out of his jeans, he watched Remus undress himself in haste, his eyes not leaving Regulus for a second. Naked, save for his boxers, Remus jumped onto the bed, his head immediately pulled down by Regulus for a new round of vigorous kissing, hands roaming each other's bodies. When Remus' hand slipped into Regulus' boxer briefs and closed around the hardened shaft, Regulus bucked up into the touch, raking his nails down Remus' side.

Remus dipped his head to suck on Regulus' neck and shoulder, enjoying the little sounds that escaped the boy's mouth as Remus' wrist did a small twist and smoothed a thumb over the leaking tip.

"Oh... oh, God," gasped Regulus. "Remus - do you have lube and condoms?"

Remus looked up, excitement rushing over him. "In my room. You wanna go that far?"

"Yes – I want you so badly!"

Remus stumbled to his own room to get the things, nearly falling off the bed in his eagerness. Meanwhile, Regulus toed off his socks and positioned himself on the bed to look as tempting as he could while stroking himself languidly.

Remus stopped in the door and gulped when he saw the Brit poised on the bed. So sexy and beautiful, every inch of his naked body as perfect as his face. He quickly locked the door again and hurried over to the bed. "You teased me when you walked half-naked through the house," he said as he crawled in over Regulus. "Made me want you so bad I could barely control myself."

"Really?" smirked Regulus. "I didn't think of that at all..."

"I bet you didn't," said Remus and sat up to pour some lube into his palm. Then he leaned in to kiss Regulus' neck while slipping slicked-up fingers between his buttocks.

"Hey!" said Regulus, sitting up. "Who says _I'm_ bottoming?"

"I just thought…" said Remus, a little baffled. "You don't wanna?"

"Is it because I'm younger?"

"I dunno," said Remus, looked slightly nervous. Had he offended Regulus so that he would back out? "It's just a vibe I got from you, I reckon, but you can top if you wanna."

"No, it's fine," said Regulus. "I'll bottom. Just get on with it!"

Relieved, Remus lay down next to him, getting on with the preparation while they kissed fervently, getting their juices flowing again.

"Enough," said Regulus after a few minutes, impatient to get going.

Remus sat back and quickly rolled on a condom while staring at the boy lying on display below him. He was still unable to grasp how someone this gorgeous was giving himself to him so willingly. He positioned himself between Regulus' thighs and looked at his face for approval before gently pushing in, making sure that Regulus got a chance to accommodate. He wasn't sure how used to it he was.

Regulus gritted his teeth. It had been quite a while since he had last been with Barty, but he didn't want to come off as inexperienced, so he didn't let on. Remus was gentle and considerate, however, so it wasn't so bad. Regulus kissed him eagerly, running his hands up and down his back. "Move," he said a bit later when the lust was flooding back as the pain ebbed away.

Eternally grateful, Remus started rocking back and forth softly but quickly picked up the pace as Regulus spurred him on by meeting his every thrust vigorously.

"Bloody hell," gasped Regulus when Remus angled himself just right, making his entire body bubble with pleasure. The American certainly knew what he was doing. Regulus and Barty had had zero experience when they started out together. Remus, of course, must have had a good deal of experience, being both older and having had several boyfriends. Regulus pressed his head back into the pillow as he canted his hips to meet Remus' increasingly vigorous thrusts. He grabbed a hold of his own cock and started jerking it quickly, both because he really needed to get off and because something in Remus' breathing told him that he was getting close.

"Oh God, Regulus," Remus groaned as he looked down between them to see the other boy stroking himself in time with Remus' rough thrusts. He quickly looked up again because he knew he was going to come if he kept watching, and he didn't want to leave Regulus behind; but the sight of Regulus' face, a picture of utter pleasure: eyes half-lidded, jaw slack, and lips parted, was even worse. "I'm gonna –" was all he managed before the unstoppable orgasm ripped through him as his hips snapped forward harder and faster. Fortunately, he managed to keep thrusting just long enough for Regulus to reach climax as well, heels dug into Remus' buttocks, his release spurting out between them.

They lay there gasping for breath for a while until Remus rolled off and onto his back. Regulus wiped his forehead. His hair was soaked with sweat. "Should've turned on the AC first, yeah?" he laughed.

"Yeah," smiled Remus and rolled onto his side, kissing Regulus' cheek. "Wow... you were really... wow. You're the hottest guy I ever slept with." He smiled and kissed him again before laying his head down on the pillow. "You were very quiet," he said after a moment. "Even when you talked, you were whispering."

"I lived at a boarding school, remember?" explained Regulus. He sighed. Now that it was over, he was a bit embarrassed with himself. He had acted like a horny schoolboy. The alcohol had obviously made him forget all about self-control. He wiped his stomach and decided to get up and go to the kitchen to get some water and turn on the AC. He came back and handed Remus a glass as well.

"Thank you," said Remus and sat up, drinking all the water in one go. Then he noticed that Regulus looked a little uncomfortable. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah... Why wouldn't I be?" said Regulus and lay back down on the bed. "Just sweating my bum off."

Remus couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong but decided to let it go for now. He lay back down beside Regulus and sighed. "Why haven't you told your brother that you're gay? He would be fine with it, you know he would. They all would."

"Nobody knows, except my ex, and I would like it to stay that way. My family would not be pleased. So what just happened stays between you and me."

"Okay," said Remus and bit his lip. "So... what about us? Was this a one-time thing, or…?"

Regulus sighed. "I don't know. Do we have to make wedding plans?" he asked a little irritably.

"Of course not," said Remus, feeling a little hurt. He had hoped that Regulus would be friendlier after such an intimate moment. He rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Listen - you best go to your own room before the others come back," said Regulus. "Sorry I'm so secretive, but I'm just not ready to come out yet."

"I understand," said Remus and sat up. He then leaned down and kissed Regulus gently on the lips. "I will, however, look forward to the day that you are, so that you and I can sleep together without worrying." He then got off the bed, collected his clothes, and left the room.

Regulus got up as well, put clean sheets on the bed, and went into the bathroom to take a shower. On his way back the front door suddenly opened and Peter stumbled in with the brunette who had made Remus jealous; both rather drunk. Regulus cursed himself for not having bothered to dress and now stood only with a small towel around his waist.

Peter stopped. The girl was hanging on him and giggling as she spotted Regulus. "Hey, handsome. Wanna join for a threesome?" she slurred.

Peter put up a sour expression and dragged the girl with him to his room and closed the door.

Before Regulus could move, Sirius came in with the pixie-haired blonde. He eyed his little brother. "A bit late for a bath, yeah?" he commented and took a swig from the bottle he had in his free hand.

"Well, it's so bloody hot here! I needed to freshen up. You know I hate being sweaty. Well, if this isn't a whore house tonight... Why didn't Potter bring Evans over? Could have been fun," said Regulus sarcastically.

Sirius stuck out his chin. "Just because you aren't getting laid tonight that doesn't mean it has to affect the rest of us. It's your own fault. You had plenty of options."

Regulus snorted. If only Sirius knew.

Sirius took the girl to his room and slammed the door shut as a statement to Regulus to mind his own business, and it didn't take long before the girl's giggles were replaced by moans. Clearly this girl was not shy.

 **o0o0o**

Ten minutes later there was a knock on Remus' door. When he said 'yes?', Regulus stepped in and closed the door behind him. He sat down at the foot of Remus' bed and grumbled, "I can't sleep. Birds sure make a lot of noise when they're shagging..." Regulus had never heard girls have sex before. Had never heard _anyone_ else have sex, actually, and he found it rather awkward.

Remus sat down beside Regulus and looked at him. "I've gotten pretty used to it by now but I gotta admit this girl is really loud. I wouldn't be surprised if Sirius compliments himself in the morning."

Regulus laughed. "Yes, he's going to tease Peter with being able to satisfy his bird better. By the way, Peter's bird invited me to a threesome when they came in," he added, just to tease Remus.

"Did she, now?" said Remus with raised eyebrows. "And I hope I satisfied you enough for you to decline."

"I just thought it would be awkward sleeping with _two_ of my flat mates. And Peter isn't exactly my type."

"I would hope not. We aren't very alike," smiled Remus and let his hand caress Regulus' knee while leaning in for a kiss.

"Well," said Regulus, quickly getting to his feet, dodging the kiss. I'll go to bed. See you in the morning."


	6. I Wish He Would just Talk to Me

**Chapter 6 – I Wish He Would just Talk to Me**

The next morning Sirius was woken by the sound of pots and pans scrambling in the kitchen. He stuck his head in the door, bleary-eyed and messy-haired. "Remus... just because you got a lot of sleep last night doesn't mean you can wake the rest of us up at the crack of dawn."

"It's eleven, Sirius and I'm cooking breakfast for y'all. Is your lady friend staying?"

"I dunno," he said and walked in, putting his arms around Remus and resting his chin on his shoulder. "I have a hangover," he whined.

"Nothing a good breakfast and a couple of aspirins can't fix," said Remus, stirring the eggs on the pan.

"I had hoped she would sneak out early but she's still here," complained Sirius. "I hope she doesn't think we're getting married now."

Remus felt a sting as he remembered Regulus' similar comment last night. "She sounded like she liked you a whole lot."

"Of course," smirked Sirius. "I'm campus' uncrowned sex god."

Peter came into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. "Ah, breakfast!" he beamed and sat down at the table.

"Where's your date?" asked Remus.

"She left while I slept."

"Did you check my brother's room?" joked Sirius. "She seemed mighty interested in him."

"Shut up, Sirius," said Peter as a flicker of doubt crossed his face.

"I'll just go wake Regulus up," said Remus. "You look after the food."

Remus knocked twice before Regulus got up and unlocked the door. He had also been afraid that the girl might actually crash his room. She had seemed very predatory. "Yeah?" he said, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"I cooked breakfast if you'd like some," smiled Remus. "The others are up as well so we're all gonna sit down and eat."

Regulus came into the kitchen ten minutes later. Sirius' girl had also come out and was sitting with the others, eating. She looked at Regulus and then at Sirius and then back at Regulus. "Oh my. You two look a lot alike! How awesome is that?"

"It's my baby brother, Regulus," said Sirius and took another piece of bacon.

"Well, he's very handsome too," she smiled and studied Regulus for a moment.

Regulus sighed. It wasn't that he wasn't flattered when people said he was handsome, but it had always made him uncomfortable being hit on by girls, and the American girls were more brash than the British. Especially the upper-class British, whom he was used to.

"So... you lot missed out on a whole lot of fun last night," said Sirius, and looked from Regulus to Remus. "Being all boring and going home early."

"We had fun. And it wasn't that early," said Regulus.

"Since you two are the ones who got the most sleep and the least booze you're the ones going out to fetch a load of junk food later," said Sirius. "And a huge bag of Doritos. And a few gallons of Coke. You know - the basic hangover kit."

Remus agreed. He didn't mind. That meant he could spend some alone time with Regulus, unless Regulus declined.

 **o0o0o**

About an hour later they set off to the supermarket to get the things the others had asked for.

"It's nice to get out and walk a little," Remus smiled, looking at Regulus. He wanted to ask him so many things but wasn't sure how to proceed.

"I suppose. And to get away from the others for a bit. They smell of booze. More than us, I mean. That bird is still hanging around. I wonder how my brother is going to get rid of her. But I assume he has quite a bit of practice."

"Eventually she'll leave but I had hoped she had left already. I hate seeing them disappointed when Sirius lets them down."

"I pity her," said Regulus. "She seems to be quite smitten with him. But he obviously isn't interested in having a girlfriend."

"No, sadly not, but I reckon he ain't ready to settle down," Remus said as they walked through the doors to Food Lion.

Regulus wrinkled his nose when they found the bag of caramel-popcorn Peter had requested. "You have so much crazy stuff. Who eats this stuff, anyway?"

"Peter does, obviously," Remus smiled. "These are his favorite."

"They have a thirty-meter aisle just with crisps but not a single kind with salt and vinegar," Regulus moped.

"Salt and vinegar?" said Remus. "I don't think I ever tried that flavor."

They walked up and down the aisle until Regulus finally find some chips he would eat. "I think we have it all now," said Remus and pushed the cart toward the cash register.

 **o0o0o**

James was back when they came home. He said Lily had kicked him out because he was moaning about his hangover. "Easy for her to do," he moped, "when everybody knows hangovers affect men harder than women."

"Does everybody know that?" said Regulus, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes! It's scientifically proven. It's like the flu. Men simply get sicker."

Remus just shook his head and started to unpack the bags they had brought back with them. "I remember last year when you guys all had the flu. I had to call Lily so she could help me come take care of y'all."

"Sounds like a horrible job," commented Regulus.

Next came the near impossible task of choosing a movie.

"I want to see a film with some meaning to it," declared Regulus. "Not some stupid action flick where one man kills an entire army of Nazis or Russians or some of the other cliché villains."

"That rules out your movie selection, Pete," snickered Sirius and then turned to Regulus. "What? You wanna watch some Sandra Bullock movie where she falls in love and the man breaks her heart but then his brother saves the day?"

"No!" said Regulus, his cheeks flushed. "Cheesy love stories are as empty as Rambo movies. What about something satirical? Or a David Lynch film, for instance?"

"No, dude!" said James. "Those movies are so weird."

"Listen, Reggie," said Sirius. "When I have a hangover I don't want to watch a film where I have to use my brain to understand the plot."

Peter and James voiced their agreement.

"Let's watch a comedy, then," suggested Sirius and pulled out a few movies. "We have Scary Movie, Hot Shots, Hangover in Vegas. Let's watch the last one!"

James and Peter both agreed although they had probably seen it ten times already.

"What? No! They're all so bloody corny. What about some intelligent humor? That means, no Adam Sandler, no Ben Stiller, and no Jim Carrey." Regulus found himself wishing Lily was there. She, At least, had a sense of culture. Remus did too, but he was too soft to get involved in the discussion.

"Democracy has spoken," said Sirius. "We're watching Hangover in Vegas. That's a real hangover movie and it's dead funny."

"No!" protested Regulus.

"Come on, Reggie. It's funny!"

"Well, you can watch it on your own, then!" said Regulus. "I'll go read a good book in my room."

"You do that," said Sirius and put the movie in the DVD player.

 **o0o0o**

Remus knocked on Regulus' door a good half hour later and entered the room when he was given permission. "I brought you some snacks," he said." And something to drink too. Coke and ice."

"Oh. Thank you," said Regulus as Remus put the things on his table. "How is the movie? Is it silly?"

"A little bit. I'm trying to get some work done so I'm not really paying that much attention," said Remus. "How's the book?" he asked and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Regulus flipped the book over so Remus could see the front. "Gone with the Wind. It's quite good. But I'm sure you know that, being an English major and all."

"Ah, yes, of course I know it," Remus smiled. "It's very good."

There was a roar of laughter from the living room and Remus rolled his eyes and chuckled. "They like those kinds of movies."

"Not you?"

"I like all kinds of movies but today I ain't really in the mood for this genre."

"Ah," said Regulus. Then after a moment's silence he said, "You don't have to agree with me or do things you think I prefer. You don't need to impress me."

"I'm not trying to," said Remus, a little surprised. He bit his lip and speculated for a moment. "How about we get to know each other a little better? Like... tell me something about your childhood?"

Regulus shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Was Remus going to be all clingy now just because they had had sex once? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea sleeping with one's flat mate, after all. "We're not on a date, you know. You already got into my pants, so there's no need chatting me up."

Remus looked hurt. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to get to know you better," he said and then got up. "I hope you enjoy your snacks. I'll leave you alone now."

Regulus sighed. Now he had hurt Remus' feelings. That wasn't really his intention but he didn't know how else to get him to back off.

"Got tired of Mr. sulky already?" asked Sirius when Remus returned to the living room.

Remus just shrugged and sat down with some papers. Had it been a bad idea to sleep with Regulus? He had wanted him so badly – and not just in a physical way – but now that he'd had him, he felt horrible. Was he putting too much into it? Regulus behaved like it meant nothing.

Regulus made a sandwich for himself when the others ordered pizzas. Then he took it back to his room.

"Why is your brother so asocial?" asked James. "Sitting alone eating a stupid sandwich when we're out here having fun with pizza?"

"Because he's weird," sighed Sirius but decided to go knock on Regulus' door anyway. "Reggie, why don't you come out and eat with the rest of us?"

"I'm not in the mood," said Regulus. "And I've had quite enough junk food recently. I'll end up like a fat yankee."

"No one says you have to eat pizza," said Sirius. "You could at least sit with us. And for your information, Southerners don't appreciate being referred to as yankees. That's what they call rude Northerners."

"I want to be alone, yeah? I was plenty social yesterday. This isn't a commune, is it?" sounded the sour voice from inside the room.

Sirius sighed and went back to the others.

Remus felt horrible. He was sure he was the one Regulus was avoiding.

 **o0o0o**

The next day Sirius caught Regulus sitting in the kitchen. "Reg – have you figured out what you want to do with your life? Are you going to start studying here or are you going home for that?"

"I've told you I haven't made up my mind yet," mumbled Regulus, immensely irritated every time Sirius brought up his future plans.

"You can't keep saying that. You've been here over a month! The new school year is coming up in September. You can't keep putting your decision off."

"I haven't decided yet whether I want to study here or not. And I haven't decided on a major either. It's not a decision to be taken lightly."

"I thought you were going to study business, being heir to the company and all."

"Well, perhaps I would like to keep my options open. And why do I have to make up my mind so soon? I'm only 19."

"I find it very hard to believe that Mum and Dad are allowing you to faff about like this with no education plan."

"I told you I'm taking a sabbatical year!" snapped Regulus.

"Yeah – and that year is nearly over! Don't try to tell me they're letting you have more than one year to do nothing!"

"Will you keep Mother and Father out of this?" barked Regulus.

"No, I won't – because things don't add up! I know them and there's no way they would allow you to… Wait, did you say 19? You're only 18."

"I _was_ 18," said Regulus, sticking out his jaw. "My birthday was last week. May 10th, like it has been all my life."

Sirius' expression switched from frustration to shame. "Bloody hell... I forgot. I'm sorry Reggie." He rubbed his arm and glanced around the kitchen as if looking for something to give his brother as a present. "I'll make it up to you. We'll go out for dinner. Your choice of restaurant." Then he wondered why there hadn't been anything in the mail for Regulus' birthday. Not even a card. "What did Mum and Dad get you?"

"None of your business," mumbled Regulus and tried to make his way past Sirius out of the kitchen, but his brother didn't move.

"It _is_ my business. Come on – tell me." He stuck an arm out to block Regulus' way. "They didn't send you anything, did they? Why is that?"

"Maybe they got me something before I left," growled Regulus, shooting daggers at his brother as if he had offended him with a very inappropriate question. "Is that so hard to imagine?"

"In a way it is. They could at least have sent you a card. And now that I think about it, not once have I heard you calling them or seen you write anything on the computer."

"I didn't go half way around the world to sit on Skype all the time with my parents," Regulus shot back. "Anyway, it's not your business what I do with them - you're not part of the family anymore! You ditched us because we weren't good enough for you!"

 **o0o0o**

James and Remus entered the apartment, greeted by the sound of raised voices from the kitchen. They found Peter sitting on the couch, reading a Superman comic book.

"What are they fighting about _now_ _?_ " asked James.

"Apparently the drama queen's birthday was last week and Sirius forgot it," said Peter. "And he wants him to do something with his life."

Remus looked shocked. Regulus had had a birthday? Why hadn't he said anything?

"Well..." said James, scratching the back of his head. "I would kinda feel bad if I forgot my brother's birthday. If I had one. But then again, the two haven't been in contact for five years…"

 **o0o0o**

"I left because they were abusive and wanted to run my life!" Sirius shot back. "You'd never understand because you were always so flaming perfect!"

"I just chose to not be a disrespectful punk! You ruined everything and now you have the cheek to stick your nose in our business?" Regulus yelled back. "If you hadn't left on your own they would have kicked you out and you would have deserved it!"

"Shut up, Regulus!" Sirius screamed back, feeling his anger approaching breaking point.

"Well, let me through and you won't have to listen to me anymore!" Regulus yelled back and once again tried to push his way past his bigger and stronger brother.

Sirius was so angry that he gave Regulus a hard push, sending him reeling back to collide with the kitchen table, a few glasses falling to the floor and shattering. "You tell me why you're not speaking to Mum and Dad!"

"Sirius!" Remus cut him off as he turned up in the doorway. "Calm down!"

"Who says I'm not talking to them?" yelled Regulus, red in the face now. "I call them from a payphone outside, that's why you haven't noticed me calling!"

"Why the hell do you do that when you have a mobile phone and can borrow a computer with Skype on it?" Sirius yelled back. "And I don't even know where there _is_ a payphone anymore. You're a bloody liar!"

Regulus felt cornered, both physically and psychologically and he charged at his brother, hoping to knock him off balance so he could get by.

Sirius tried to grab him but Regulus stormed past him and into the hallway where he jammed his feet into his sneakers. "Fine! Run from your problems!" Sirius yelled.

"Fighting with your brother physically now?" asked James, coming into the kitchen. "Granted, he's a pain in the ass, but it's not fair beating on someone smaller than you."

"I wasn't beating him," said Sirius and slumped down on a chair at the kitchen table. "He's hiding something from me and I can't stand when people lie to me." He rested his head on his hands and sighed. "I dunno what happened. Why is it so difficult talking to him? And he still refuses to understand why I had to leave."

"He was only thirteen," tried Remus. "You can't expect a child to understand such things."

"I know, but he's not a child anymore, and he still refuses to even _try_ to understand."

"Maybe he's still hurt about you leaving him behind," suggested Remus quietly, hoping not to offend Sirius.

"Well, he could just tell me that and we could talk it through. But he never did want to talk about feelings," said Sirius, suddenly finding himself on the edge of tears. "I wish he would just talk to me. Open up a bit. He's my bloody brother, after all, and I love him."

 **o0o0o**

Regulus stayed out until one in the morning before going back and sneaking inside, hoping not to run into anybody. Hoping that Sirius had given up on him and gone to bed.

But Sirius was sitting in the living room with a blanket over himself, half asleep. He looked up when his brother came in and sent him a careful smile. "Glad you're home. I was worried." He sat up and rubbed his arm. "Look... I'm sorry about before. I'm just worried about you. That's all."

"Right. Funny way of showing it," mumbled Regulus and looked around to see if any of the others were still up.

"I know," sighed Sirius. "But you could cut me some slack once in a while. I'm your brother and I love you. I wish you would open up a bit and talk to me about important things instead of shutting me out all the time." He eyed his brother for a while, but when there seemed to be no reaction, he sighed and got up. "Well, think about it, at least. I'm going to bed. Good night."

"Night," mumbled Regulus and disappeared into the bathroom.


	7. What Happened to the -

**Chapter 7 - What Happened to the Even-Tempered Southerner?**

The next day Regulus didn't come out from his room until eleven when he had heard people leave and the apartment was quiet. On his way to the bathroom he was surprised to run into Remus sitting in the living room with a cup of coffee and his laptop on the table.

"Oh," Regulus said. "Um... I didn't think anyone was home."

"I don't have classes today," smiled Remus and took a sip from his mug. "Plenty of studying, though." He typed a few lines on his laptop and when Regulus kept standing there, he stopped and looked up at him. "How are you? I got a little worried when you ran away yesterday and stayed out all night."

"I'm all right. Just needed a break from Sirius," said Regulus, before heading to the bathroom. He took a long shower and put on a blue V-neck and a pair of thin linen shorts. Then he fixed himself some breakfast and took it to the living room to sit near Remus.

Remus typed on his computer, occasionally sneaking peeks at Regulus. He was so beautiful it was nearly painful looking at him, because Regulus clearly wasn't interested in Remus, but Remus couldn't help himself. He was – if possible – even more attracted to the boy after having had a taste of him.

Regulus went into the kitchen to get some more tea. "We're almost out of milk," he said, returning to the living room. "I should probably go to the store." He sat down again, closer to Remus this time, watching him curiously as he worked.

"Want me to go with you?" Remus asked and turned his head to look at Regulus, a little startled at how close their faces suddenly were. "I… I could use a break from writing."

"I suppose," Regulus said, looking into Remus' eyes. He liked Remus' eyes. They were a lovely shade of amber. "But later. I'm not up for it right now."

"O-okay," said Remus, feeling his mouth go dry. He couldn't look away; Regulus had him completely under his spell.

Regulus lay down on the couch without breaking eye contact. "Still a bit tired," he explained and placed one of his lower legs across Remus' lap. "Didn't get much sleep."

Remus stared down at the leg and gulped. Slowly he built up the courage to let a hand travel along Regulus' calf. "Maybe you should rest a bit?"

"Yeah... Yeah, I think I'll just lie here for a bit," said Regulus, feeling his skin shiver under the touch. "If it doesn't disturb you, that is."

"It doesn't. I like your company," Remus said and stroked Regulus' leg again. He yearned to join him on the couch, touch him everywhere and kiss him until they were both out of breath.

Regulus closed his eyes, enjoying Remus' touch. When it disappeared a moment later he said, "Don't stop. It's feels good."

Remus smiled and touched him again, this time daring to let his hand travel up to the knee. He had such flawless skin. Flawless, like the rest of his body. Remus wished he would just let him know where he stood with him, instead of sending all these mixed signals.

Regulus hummed in content. "Don't you need a rest?" he asked, opening his eyes to look up at Remus. "There's plenty of space. You have a wide sofa."

"I might could use a break, yeah," Remus smiled and gratefully lay down on his side next to Regulus so they were facing each other. Remus felt his heart skip a beat as he looked into that pretty face, so close he could feel the younger boy's breath fanning over his lips. When Regulus reached out to gently push a tawny lock away from his face, Remus couldn't stand it any longer. He moved a hand up to cup Regulus' cheek and closed the gap between them in a gentle kiss, his heart hammering in his chest as he waited for Regulus' reaction. Would he push him away or had he had time to think and decided that last weekend's tryst had not been a mistake, after all? Remus prayed for the latter.

Regulus kissed back, a little insecurely at first. He had only ever kissed Barty. Remus felt different. Yes, he had already kissed him last week but that had been in a lust-driven frenzy. Now they were sober and calm. Feeling Remus' tongue become a little more persistent Regulus tilted his head for a better angle and opened up to him, while his hand started roaming Remus' hip. Soon it ventured further up and slipped under his T-shirt.

Without breaking the kiss, Remus pushed Regulus onto his back and crawled in over him, careful not to put all his weight onto him. He felt goosebumps rise in the wake of Regulus' touch and returned the favor by moving a hand up under his shirt as well and letting his fingers dance around on the warm skin. The more he touched, the more he wanted him. The young Brit moaned softly as Remus moved his lips down his jaw to his neck, a hand still roaming under Regulus' shirt. It found its way to a nipple and started rolling it between his fingertips. "You feel so good," he sighed.

"Oh," gasped Regulus, feeling the skin under Remus' fingers shiver. "Y-you too." His hand slid down Remus' spine and dipped under the shorts to squeeze a firm buttock, raising his hips a bit without thinking about it.

Remus responded by rolling his hips down to meet Regulus'. Then he remembered where they were, thinking that where things were heading, they couldn't just stay in the living room where any of the others could walk in and catch them going at it. "Wanna go to my room?" he asked and gave Regulus' ear a nip.

Regulus nodded. "When are the others coming home?"

"In a few hours," said Remus and got up, pulling Regulus with him. "But just in case… Besides, we have an agreement not to have sex on the couch. A rule we had to make after this one time when Sirius -"

"Yuk," said Regulus, pulling a face and jumping up from the couch as if afraid he had been lying on some of his brother's 'remains'. "Typical. I really hope you cleaned it properly or bought a new sofa."

Remus just chuckled as he gave Regulus a gentle push in the direction of his room.

As soon as the door was locked, Remus pulled Regulus' shirt over his head while backing him up towards the bed. They went back to kissing and feeling each other up, much slower and more exploratively than last time where they had been driven by desperate need and not paid much attention to details. In the daylight it was also easier to see each other properly.

Toppling onto the bed, Remus kissed Regulus' neck and let a hand feel its way around his chest. He wasn't sure if Regulus wanted to go as far as the last time. He seemed almost a little shy now, letting Remus take the lead. Slowly Remus kissed down his neck and onto his chest, licking the warm skin, drawing a soft whimper from the younger boy.

"Yes," breathed Regulus, canting his hips, hoping Remus would go lower. He buried his fingers in tawny locks, massaging the scalp lightly.

Remus smiled and kissed his way further down until he reached Regulus' shorts. He looked up at him and gave a light tug at the waistband. Regulus lifted his bottom so that Remus could pull both shorts and briefs off. Without hesitation, Remus took a hold of the growing erection and licked a long stripe up the underside of the shaft and then swirled his tongue around the head while looking up at Regulus, wanting to see his reaction.

Regulus let out a gasp and raised his hips as an encouragement, sighing in pleasure when Remus took all of him in his mouth, flattening his tongue against the shaft and starting to bob his head up and down at a slow pace. Regulus closed his eyes and enjoyed Remus' ministrations, running his fingers lazily through his hair. When he felt himself suddenly rushing towards completion he pushed Remus off just in time to prevent it. "It's no good leaving you behind," he explained. "Lose the trousers."

Remus licked his lips and sat up, pulling off his pants. He didn't know what Regulus had in mind but he was dying to find out. When Regulus quickly dipped his head, Remus let out a surprised gasp and tilted his head back, his fingers digging into silky black locks. He had imagined those luscious lips wrapped around him so many times and now that it was finally happening it didn't take more than a minute for him to climax.

Regulus wiped his mouth and bit his lip. He had only planned to bring Remus to the brink of completion and then move on to something else. Well, change of plans. He moved up to kiss Remus' mouth, pressing himself against him to remind him that he was still hard.

Remus could see that he was a little disappointed. "Gimme ten minutes and I'll be ready again," he said and pushed Regulus onto his back. "Until then, I'm gonna make you feel real good." He took a hold of his member and started stroking it slowly. He lay down between his legs and kissed his thigh while his hand did its work.

"Mmm," hummed Regulus, resting his head on the pillow. "And what do you plan on doing when you're ready in ten minutes?"

"I plan on having my way with you, if you don't mind too much," said Remus and gave the other boy's inner thigh a gentle nip.

"Oh?" said Regulus, getting even more aroused. "And what would your way be?"

"I would take you right here on my bed. Fuck you right into the mattress," said Remus, a little shocked at himself for talking dirty like this, but he could tell it was turning Regulus on, so he was going to keep at it.

"Ah," said Regulus, swallowing thickly. It sounded so hot when Remus talked like that. Barty had never been like this. He had been more passive for the most part, and Regulus found that he really liked how Remus took control. Liked that he was experienced and confident. "How would you want me? On my back? From behind? Something else?"

"So many choices…" said Remus and let go of Regulus' cock. "How 'bout sitting on me? Mmm… yeah, I could get a real good look at that gorgeous body of yours while you ride me."

"Yes," breathed Regulus, feeling his cock jerk at the thought. "Well, don't waste any time - lube me up!"

Remus didn't hesitate. He fetched lube in the drawer and quickly prepared Regulus. After a bit he found a condom, opened it with his teeth, and rolled it on. Ready, he lay down on his back and looked up at Regulus. "What you waiting for, darlin'?" he asked when Regulus didn't react immediately.

"Impatient, are we?" smirked Regulus, enticingly winding a long lock around a finger. "What happened to the even-tempered Southerner?"

"You happened. Now get up here," said Remus, clapping his thighs.

Regulus climbed on and slowly slid down onto Remus' length, looking him in the eye the whole time. He sat for a minute, breathing through his nose, and then began rocking slowly back and forth.

Remus bit his lip, resting his hands on Regulus' hips for support, feeling heat spread through his body. He was glad that he had already had one orgasm, or he thought he would have come before they had barely started. "Oh... God..." he choked, his eyes running up and down the naked boy on top of him. "You're… you look so hot sitting up there."

Regulus did a toss with his hair and licked his lips, all meant to entice Remus. Even though Remus had said that looks meant nothing to him, it was obvious from the start that he was completely taken with Regulus' beauty, and Regulus knew how to play on that. Remembering Remus' comment about him being so quiet last time Regulus started moaning at every thrust, remembering that since they were alone in the apartment there was no reason to keep it down. He felt Remus' reaction immediately, as he swore under his breath and bucked his hips more vigorously. Regulus made a mental note on the fact that being vocal was clearly a turn-on for the American.

"Fuck, you feel so good," said Remus, leaning his head back on the pillow and closing his eyes for a second before looking up at the other boy again.

"Is that so?" said Regulus, smirking down at Remus. "Why don't you make me feel how much you're enjoying it?"

Remus smirked back and placed both feet on the mattress, and taking a firm hold on Regulus' hips he made a few forceful jerks upwards with his lower body.

Regulus let out a surprised gasp. Then he smirked. "Trying to tell me to go faster?"

"Mm," smiled Remus and felt sweat start to form on his forehead. He did another roll with his hips and gasped at the pleasure it sent through his body.

"Why don't you make me?" said Regulus, eying Remus challengingly.

Remus licked his lips and held onto Regulus' hips' firmly as he bucked his hips with as much force as he could muster. Once. Then twice.

Regulus gasped both times but then collected himself, regaining his balance. "That all you got?"

Remus jerked upwards again but this time he did not stop. He pulled Regulus toward him by the hips as he jerked upwards, gasping as he went.

Regulus moaned, finally satisfied with Remus' determination. He picked up his pace as well and closed his hand around his erection, starting to jerk himself off. "Tell me how good it is," he moaned.

"Really good," panted Remus. He felt himself getting close but didn't want to finish before Regulus.

"That's it? Just really good?" said Regulus and gasped in pleasure when Remus hit just the right spot.

"Fucking amazing," said Remus. "You make me lose my mind here." He leaned his head back into the pillow and gasped when Regulus rotated his hips while making an obscene sound. "Oh God, you're amazing, Regulus!"

Regulus gave it all he had, speeding up and moaning as every thrust Remus sent sparks through his body until he came spurting over Remus' stomach. It only took a few more thrusts for Remus to come as well and he sank back into the mattress. Regulus was leaning in over him, breathing heavily, their foreheads almost touching. Both were dripping with sweat.

"We forgot the air conditioning again," smiled Remus, resting his hands on Regulus' waist.

"Yeah," panted Regulus. "Bloody climate. Now we need a shower."

"Yeah," smiled Remus. "A nice cold one seems awful tempting right about now." He moved his face up to kiss Regulus softly on the lips.

A few minutes later Regulus climbed out of the bed. "Want to come? "

Remus looked a little surprised. "Sure," he beamed and got up.

"You could finish that thing you started earlier," said Regulus. He went to the door and peeked out. The apartment was quiet, so he picked up his clothes and went down to the bathroom, Remus following.

"Finish?" asked Remus, locking the bathroom door behind them. "What do you mean?"

"You know..." said Regulus, pointing to Remus' mouth.

"Oh," smiled Remus. He put his arms around Regulus and walked him backwards into the shower stall where he turned on the water. It felt wonderful; tepid water running down their bodies, washing away the sweat. Remus slowly sank to his knees, kissing his way down Regulus' chest and stomach until he reached a hip.

Regulus leaned his head back against the tiles, feeling himself quickly growing to full mast. He ran his fingers through Remus' wet hair, hoping he would soon get down to business instead of treating his hip bones as if they were made of candy. When Remus finally took mercy on him, Regulus groaned and closed his eyes, intensely feeling Remus' mouth setting to work. Oh, but he was good at this. With Barty Regulus had had nothing to compare it to, but now it was clear that he hadn't been particularly good. To be fair, Remus had more experience than Barty, who had only had Regulus, and Regulus suspected that he himself wasn't any better than Barty. The two of them had only had each other to experimented with, not daring to talk to anybody for advice. "So good," he mumbled. He could feel Remus smiling and chuckle around his cock, sending vibrations through it. Regulus swore under his breath and couldn't help thrusting forward into the soft, wet heat. Remus put his hands on Regulus' hips to control the movements although not stopping them altogether. This was almost too good: Remus' delicious mouth, his hands on him, the water splashing down his body. When he was nearly there he pulled Remus up by a gentle tug on his hair. "Not yet," he said, seeing Remus' puzzled face. "Give it a break. I don't want it to end so soon."

They kissed for a minute until Regulus asked Remus to go down on him again. He had cooled off a bit and would last a while longer.

Remus used his tongue more this time, varying his movements as he sucked eagerly. A violent orgasm struck Regulus suddenly and he let out a loud moan as his hips jerked forward a couple of times of their own accord. Remus pulled away after a moment and smiled up at Regulus as he got to his feet. He ran a hand though his wet hair, enjoying the view of the exhausted boy sagging against the wall.

"Bloody hell..." mumbled Regulus.

"That good, huh?" grinned Remus and rested his forehead against Regulus'.

"Not bad," mumbled Regulus. Now that he was back to himself he didn't see a point in giving Remus _too_ much praise. He might just think Regulus adored him.

They took their time showering, washing each other's hair and scrubbing each other's backs. At some point Regulus noticed Remus had gone half-hard and he felt his own member stir in renewed interest. He smirked at Remus and looked pointedly at his member. "Feeling neglected?"

"Might be…" said Remus, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Perhaps I should remedy that," said Regulus, getting down on his knees. "Since you were so good to me earlier."

"God, Reg, you look gorgeous down there," groaned Remus, watching the boy's big dark eyes looking up at him through thick lashes as he slowly closed his mouth around the tip of Remus' cock and slowly slid down, taking in as much as he could take. Remus marveled at what a quick study the young Brit was, doing his best to copy the techniques Remus had just used on him. The first blowjob of the day had made him come quickly simply because of his fantasy of feeling the boy's lips around him became reality, but this time the performance was upped a considerable notch. Remus opened his eyes and sucked in a quick breath at seeing Regulus stroking himself quickly in time with his movement on Remus. "Look at you go," he purred and dug his hands into the younger boy's hair, twisting long locks around his fingers. "Sucking my cock turns you on, huh?" Regulus responded by humming and picking up the pace of both his mouth and hand. "Oh, fuck, I'm gonna come, Reg," moaned Remus. "Gonna come!"

Regulus groaned in the back of his throat as he spilled himself over his hand mere moments before Remus followed hot and thick down his throat.

Regulus got to his feet and after catching their breaths Remus gave him a lazy kiss. "Wow..." he smiled, pushing the wet hair out of his eyes. He looked at the boy in front of him and felt an intense need to be close to him always and forever, ask him to be his, but he didn't dare bring up the boyfriend subject again.

 **o0o0o**

James was the first person home. "Alright there, Remus? You look worn-out."

Remus looked up from his laptop and nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright," he said and tried to act normal. He was tired from having used all his energy on Regulus but there was nothing for it; he had to finish his homework. "Yeah... this assignment is stressing me out," he said and leaned back on the couch. He ran a hand though his hair and sighed. He had a hard time focusing on it at all. All his brain wanted to think about was Regulus.

"Well, we might should get some take-out tonight, then. It's your turn to cook and if you're busy... I got a lot of stuff too, and Sirius too, 'cause we have this big lab-report to finish. So unless Regulus volunteers… no, by the way – I need some proper food today. He's a catastrophe in a kitchen when he doesn't get help from you."

"He's actually gotten pretty good when he follows a recipe," said Remus, trying to defend Regulus. He knew Regulus was sick of take-out so maybe he would like a chance to cook instead. "We could ask if he's up for the challenge?"

 **o0o0o**

"Not again," groaned Regulus when James suggested take-away for dinner. He was not a fan of the unhealthy junk food the others mostly decided on. It was also more expensive than cooking at home and Regulus' funds were limited. It wouldn't be long before it became a problem.

"Well, would you cook then? " asked James. "Remus is busy since he gotta finish that assignment, so he won't be able to help you out. I said you couldn't do it on your own, but he insisted that you've improved your skills."

"Well, I have," Regulus stated. "Okay, I'll do it, but I won't hear any complaints!"

He walked down to Food Lion to find something easy to cook. He sighed when he spotted a curly-haired employee arranging some cans on the soft drink isle. Her name was Nancy and she always hit on him, apparently unable to understand a no. Why did she have to be here always? Did she never have time off? He considered diving out of sight, but she had already seen him.

She beamed at him and discretely arranged her shirt before walking over to him. "Hi!" she smiled and fluttered her eyelashes. "Anything I can help you with today? "

"I can do my own shopping like everybody else, thank you," he said, not stopping.

As he had predicted, she just followed him. "Hey, Regulus, why in such a hurry?"

Regulus regretted telling her his name. It had obviously made her think she had a chance with him. "I have to get home and cook before my roommates complain about starving."

"I could come help you out! I get off in half an hour. I'm sure my boss won't mind me leaving early if I ask nice, and I'm a pretty good cook."

"No!" Regulus said quickly. "I told you I'm not interested in going on a date with you."

"Well, technically it wouldn't be a date. "

"I'm still not interested."

"Come on," she insisted. "It'll be super fun! We could just hang out as friends for a start."

"I have friends enough," said Regulus, trying to look busy searching for groceries on the shelves.

"You can't never have too many friends," she said. "Come on, Regulus. Please gimme a chance. I promise you won't regret it."

"I said no!" said Regulus, starting to lose his patience.

"Hey, Nancy!" sounded the voice of one of the older employees. "You ain't paid to stand and chat with your friends!"

The girl turned her attention towards the other employee and sighed. Then she looked at Regulus. "Well, if you change your mind you know where to find me." She gently touched his shoulder and left to finish stacking the shelves she had been working on.

Regulus settled on some frozen tv-dinners that just had to be heated. He was not in the mood for cooking. This were not the most nutritious food in the world, but it was cheaper than take-away.

 **o0o0o**

Sirius walked into the kitchen just as Regulus was putting the first TV dinner in the microwave. "And you didn't want to order out? You do know you could have just ordered a salad, right?"

"Well..." said Regulus irritably. "I just thought we spend too much money on take-out. Not everybody has plenty of money, you know. Think of Remus. And he's too nice to say it."

Sirius scratched the back of his head. He couldn't argue with that. "Well, you have plenty of money so you could have treated us to something nice for once." He flashed his brother a smile.

"Well, I thought these looked good, alright?" snapped Regulus. "Now get out of the kitchen and let me cook in peace!"

"Alright, alright," said Sirius and walked out.

Remus shut down his laptop and leaned back on the couch when Sirius came back in.

"Gordon Ramsey threw me out of the kitchen," announced Sirius.

"What are we having? Canned food?" asked James.

"Tv-dinners. So at least we know it's edible," said Sirius and sat down, flipping open a can of Coke.

"What? If he ain't gonna cook anyways he might as well have let us order take-out."

"He said this was cheaper. I dunno when he became such a cheapskate. He never used to be. And he's by far the riches one of us."

"Yeah, your family owns like half of England," said Peter. "What was it their company did? I forgot."

"Real estate. They've sold about half the posh houses in England. Castles too. Big money."

"Right. And the little prince is the sole heir now?"

Sirius nodded. "But I don't mind. I want to make my own money."

"Not millions like he's gonna," said James. "Unless you become a super chemist who invents free fuel or something."

The conversation was cut short when Regulus' yelled from the kitchen, "First meal is ready! Come get it, whoever wants it!"

James and Sirius caught each other's eye and then both scrambled towards the door, each determined to make it into the kitchen first.

Remus got to his feet, deciding to go keep Regulus company while he waited for the rest of the food.

Sirius had managed to get the first tray and happily loped into the living room, followed by a moping James.

Remus leaned against the counter and watched Regulus fondly. His slender body. His perfect face. He just wanted to wrap his arms around him and kiss him silly.

Regulus stopped after a minute, turning his attention towards Remus. "Did you want something?"

"What? No, I just... well... Can't I just be near you?"

"You can be near me. As long as you don't think we're all lovey-dovey now just because we shagged a few times."

Remus swallowed a lump and felt stupid for thinking that Regulus sleeping with him again meant that he had feelings for him. "Okay..."

"We're just friends," said Regulus, his back to Remus. "Isn't that enough?"

"I... I reckon," mumbled Remus. "Friends with benefits, it would seem." He went to sit down in the living room, not looking at anyone. He felt used. Mostly he just wanted to go to bed but he didn't want to cause suspicion so he just sat there pretending to watch TV.

Sirius had finished his meal when everybody had gotten theirs, and he eyed Regulus' tray hungrily.

"No! said Regulus, slapping away his hand when he reached out for chicken on his plate. "This is _my_ food. If you're still hungry, you can go find something in the fridge."

"But you're so small. You don't need as much food as me."

"I'll only get smaller if you keep stealing my food! Go to the fridge - there's plenty of junk."

Sirius stuck out his chin but got up and shuffled to the kitchen.

Remus was pushing around his food on his plate, thinking about his situation with Regulus. Was he okay with just being his fuck buddy? He knew in his heart that the answer was no. He didn't just desire Regulus. He was in love with him.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope we aren't disappointing you with our smut ;)

Zayhad has made another piece of art for this one - the shower scene - (I don't know what got into her - seems that smut is all she wants to draw these days...) Go to her deviantart account in the folder named "Every Breath You Take" at the very bottom (left).


	8. What Brings You in here?

**A/N:** Yet another smut scene (because we thought we had been starving you for far too long ;) ) Not without plot, though.

Zayhad has mad yet another piece of art. Go to her deviantart account in the folder named "Every Breath You Take" at the very bottom (left)

* * *

 **Chapter 8 - What Brings You in here?**

Regulus acted like nothing had happened for the next days, but about a week later, when he and Remus were alone in the apartment, he slipped into Remus' room, wearing nothing but a towel riding low on his narrow hips. His hair was wet and combed back, smelling of raspberry conditioner.

Remus, who was sitting at his desk, looked up from his assignment, dropping his pencil and his mouth falling open. "Re... Regulus?" he croaked, eyes scanning the young Brit. This was wrong. Regulus didn't want to be with him and yet he wanted to use him for sex whenever he got the itch. Remus had decided that he didn't want to expose himself to the pain of going along with this rollercoaster ride of hot passion and the cold shoulder. _No... yes... no..._ he debated internally while finding himself getting to his feet and slowly walking over to Regulus, placing his hands on his hips. "What brings you in here?" he heard himself asking.

"You know what brings me in here," said Regulus, running his palms down Remus' chest, stopping inches above his crotch. He licked his lips, dark gray eyes boring into Remus.

The Southerner gulped.

 _This is wrong… you must resist... he doesn't want to be with you._

But Regulus was too tempting, luring him in like a siren ensnaring a defenseless sailor. "I see..." Remus dipped his head and kissed Regulus' neck, pulling his body closer.

Regulus tilted back his head, exposing his neck as he deftly unbuttoned Remus' shirt. Then he pushed it off his shoulders and moved a hand down to stroke him through his jeans, smirking when finding him already rock hard. "You went hard the second you saw me in my towel, didn't you?"

Remus nodded. "But I got a feeling you'll look even hotter without it…" he said and loosened the towel around Regulus' waist, letting it drop to the floor. "Bed," he ordered. When Regulus landed on his back Remus crawled in over him, eyes full of lust. "How do you want it? You decide this time."

"I'd like to top. If you don't mind bottoming, that is. I know not everyone likes both positions."

Remus looked surprised but then nodded. "Alright. If that's what you want."

"But do you like it?" asked Regulus, popping open the buttons on Remus' jeans. "It's no fun if you only do it for my sake."

"I like it. My favorite is top, but I enjoy bottoming too."

"Lucky I prefer bottoming, then. I like some variation once in a while, though. And I'm curious as to what you feel like." Regulus raised his hips, pressing himself against Remus crotch. "You have too much clothes on."

Remus quickly shimmied out of his jeans and boxers, exposing himself fully. "There... now I'm all yours," he said and leaned down to kiss Regulus.

They kissed and touched, more and more enthusiastically, until Regulus with a sudden speed and surprising strength for someone so slender flipped them over so he was on top. Remus looked up at him with a surprised expression on his face and gasped as he felt their erections brush against each other. He could feel the blood rush to his cheeks and his face burn bright red as he looked up at Regulus.

When preparation was done, Regulus paused for a second to ask Remus if he wanted it on his back or stomach.

"Back. I wanna see you," Remus said and bit his lip. He was excited but also nervous. He wasn't a very experienced bottom, and he was afraid Regulus would not be impressed. He was well aware that his sexual experience and confidence was what made Regulus keep coming back for more.

 _Well, maybe if you're no good now, he'll stop coming to you and you won't have to fight the temptation any longer._

Remus pushed the thought away. He didn't want to think about that now. He just wanted to enjoy whatever little bit of Regulus he could get. Despite thorough preparation it hurt quite a bit when Regulus pushed in (both because Remus was nervous and because he had not bottomed in years), but he tried to hide it – not wanting to seem like he wasn't on top of things.

"You alright?" gasped Regulus, forcing himself to lie still. He could feel how tense Remus was although his face looked relaxed.

"I'm fine," smiled Remus. "Just gimme a minute, and then gimme all you got."

"Yeah?" Regulus smirked. Then he pressed his mouth to Remus' ear, "You don't know how much I've got. You sure you want all that?"

Regulus' words and the hot breath on his ear sent a wave of lust pulsing through Remus. "Yes – please give it to me," he begged, all nerves washed away.

Regulus gradually picked up speed, excitement gripping him. It was a long time since he had topped; he had nearly forgotten what it was like. He quickly reached the point where he felt his release starting to build up in his abdomen, and he sat up on his haunches so he could look down on Remus, watching him move a bit with every thrust. "Fuck, you look good like that," he mumbled, noticing the smile briefly pulling at Remus' lips. Regulus grabbed his erection and started pumping it roughly, hoping to bring Remus off before leaving him behind. Unfortunately, that plan went south when a sudden orgasm swept over Regulus. A bit annoyed with himself, he pulled out, quickly discarding the condom before taking Remus in his mouth to finish him off that way.

"Fuck, you're getting good at this," moaned Remus as he kept rocking up into the welcoming heat of Regulus' mouth. "Such a quick study…"

Encouraged by the compliments, Regulus sucked harder, slackening his grip on Remus' hips and repressing his gag reflex to take in as much as he possibly could. When he could tell Remus was getting close, Regulus sped up, sucking and pumping as fast as he could until Remus let out a cry of pleasure, his hips stuttering a few times. He slumped back into the mattress afterwards, grabbing Regulus' head with both hands to pull him up for a bruising kiss.

When Remus finally let go of his face, Regulus smirked at him. "When you're ready again you can do me," he said.

Remus spent the waiting time preparing Regulus and when he started begging for more, Remus put on a condom and looked down at the boy spread out below him, looking impossibly sexy with his wet hair messily splayed over the pillow, mouth half-open and cheeks flushed a pretty pink. "Look at you, lying there begging shamelessly," he drawled, pinning Regulus' wrists above his head "Where's that usual cockiness?"

Regulus looked up at him, pupils blown wide. "Just get on with it, will you?"

"What's that?" said Remus, quirking an eye-brow.

"Please. Come on, yeah?"

"No, I don't think so. I think you need a lesson in humility."

"I said 'please'," pouted Regulus.

"Yeah? I'm not sure that was sincere. It sounded more like an order, to me…"

Regulus shook his head. "Please, Remus – I need you. Please!"

Satisfied, Remus ordered, "Turn over."

Regulus obediently threw himself on the stomach, wriggling his butt to egg Remus on.

Remus steadied him with a firm grip on his hips and pressed himself against him. He didn't push inside for a while, though, feeling like teasing Regulus some more, so he moved his hips slowly for a while, just rubbing his erection along the cleft. When he decided that Regulus had suffered long enough, he finally thrust home in one fluid movement.

"Oh God," moaned Regulus. It barely hurt, since they had done it several times the past month. "I thought you would never get down to business!"

"Just wanted to make sure you really, really wanted it," said Remus and started rocking back and forth at a steady pace. "You want my cock, don't you?" he growled into Regulus' ear, pressing him heavily into the mattress. "Want it bad?"

"Yes!" gasped Regulus, feeling desire pulse hotly in his abdomen. "Fuck, yes, I want it!"

Being the hospitable Southerner that he was, Remus gave him what he wanted, setting a steady pace, enjoying the quiet moans and soft whimpers escaping the younger boy's mouth. The sounds getting louder, Remus sped up a little and reached under Regulus with one hand to grab a hold on his erection.

Regulus raised his pelvis a bit to give Remus' hand room to jerk him off. He moaned in pleasure as with every thrust Remus made, Regulus was pushed into his fist. It was going a little slowly, though, to Regulus' taste, and after a few minutes his need became so strong he started begging shamelessly. "Remus - please! More! Faster! Plea-" He let out a surprised yelp when Remus suddenly tugged roughly on his hair, pulling him upright and back until he was balancing on his knees and sitting in Remus' lap.

Remus wrapped an arm around Regulus' stomach and pulled him in so they were flush chest-to-back and took a firm grip of his erection before starting to move his hips again, thrusting energetically upwards.

"Bloody hell!" Regulus cried, pushing eagerly back every time Remus drove into him and jerking forward into his fist on the off-beat. The hand still clutching Regulus' hair pulled his head back to rest on Remus' shoulder. Regulus moaned loudly, having never imagined that having his pair pulled could be so arousing. Remus twisted his head to catch the lips of the other boy, who made a sloppy attempt of participating in the kiss but mostly just ended up panting hotly into Remus' mouth.

Remus kept up the rhythm, hearing Regulus' breathing becoming more and more irregular. "Wanna make you come? That what you want, darlin'?" The boy just nodded frantically, as if he had lost his voice. Remus sped up his movements, making sure to keep the angle just right, until Regulus shouted out as he came long and hard, all over Remus' hand and his own chest. Remus gave a few more violent thrusts before he too climaxed. Still thrusting, he tipped forward, pushing Regulus facedown into the mattress. When the waves of pleasure had subsided, he pulled out and rolled off the Brit, lying on his back next to him.

 _We did it again. He did it again. He seduced you and now he'll ignore you for another week._

Regulus wiped them clean the best he could and curled up to Remus, closing his eyes. It probably wasn't a good idea to snuggle, because in a way that was more intimate than sex, but he convinced himself that a few minutes couldn't hurt. Just this once.

Pleasantly surprised, Remus put an arm around Regulus and pressed his face into his hair, enjoying that distinct smell of raspberry, a scent Remus had come to love recently. Raspberry and Regulus. Raspberry on Regulus. Pulling the boy even closer, Remus shut his eyes and enjoyed the moment, wishing it would last forever.

Regulus hadn't planned on it but he was so comfortable that he fell asleep there in Remus' arms.

Remus also fell asleep and didn't wake until hours later when he heard someone walking around in the living room. "Oh no..." he gasped and sat up. "Regulus! Wake up. Someone's home."


	9. You Don't Know Anything

**Chapter 9** **\- You Don't Know Anything**

Regulus woke and blinked a few times before realizing where he was. "Quick!" he said, practically pushing Remus out of the bed. "Get out there and distract them so I can sneak into my own room!"

Remus quickly got dressed and hurried out of his room to find Sirius sitting on the couch, reading a magazine. "Sirius? You're home? I thought you had work today," he said, trying to sound casual.

"I called in sick. I think I'm coming down with something. Should probably go to bed." He looked at Remus' ruffled up hair. "Hey - have you just been sleeping? It's the middle of the day."

"Yeah, I wasn't feeling so good either," said Remus and felt his forehead. "We might be coming down with the same thing. Come - let's get you to bed."

"I will, in a moment. Let me just finish this article," said Sirius, his eyes landing on the magazine again.

Remus glanced nervously over his shoulder at the closed door. "You really should get to bed if you're not feeling well, Sirius. Why don't you go lie down and I'll get you some tea?"

"I told you, I will in a moment. I'm not so ill that I'll die if I don't get rest and treatment right away."

Remus bit his lip. He really needed to get Sirius out of the room. "Could... could you do me a favor, then? Could you check the fridge for what you would like me to get from the store, and I'll go shop?"

"You can decide what you want to make," said Sirius offhandedly. "I always like your food. I would love it if you would make me some tea with honey, though."

Remus sighed. What was he going to do? He went back to his room and closed the door. "I've tried everything. He won't leave the living room until he's done reading," he told Regulus.

"Argh!" said Regulus, tugging at his hair. "If only I had my clothes in here I could sneak out without being too suspicious, as long as you kept his attention while I exit your room. But in just a towel... It's risky. He'll wonder what I was doing undressed in that part of the flat."

 _If we were a couple we wouldn't have to sneak around_ , Remus thought. "You could borrow some of mine. He won't notice that you're wearing one of my t-shirts and shorts. If he asks, we can just say you were in my room to borrow my computer to Skype with friends back home or something."

Regulus considered it for a moment. "But you're taller than me... Your clothes will look long. And it's not my style at all. Mine is classic."

Remus looked slightly offended for a moment and then looked around. "Isn't there any of your clothes in the dryer? Then I can get some of it without having to go through the living room."

"I don't put my clothes in the drier! It's too delicate for that. You Americans put everything in the drier. It ruins your clothes. Kreacher would get a heart attack if he saw it."

Remus sighed and sat down on his bed. "I don't know what to do, then. I might could sneak into your room and get some clothes for you but I'm pretty sure Sirius would notice."

"Can't you just kick him out of the living room? You're too polite. Say you need him out so you can clean in peace, or something."

Remus sighed and went back to the living room. Before he could say anything, Sirius asked, "Hey, where's my brother? I wanted to talk to him about his education."

Remus opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. What was he supposed to say? "Um... he... he's out for a walk. I'm sure he'll be back soon." He looked around. "I need to clean this mess, so would you mind moving to your room now? I'll send Regulus in when he gets back."

Sirius sighed and closed his magazine. "What a mood you're in today. If I didn't know any better I would think you were trying to get rid of me."

Remus shrugged. "I just wanna clean. Regulus has been pestering me about how this place looks, so I thought I'd do something about it."

Sirius raised his eyebrows and shook his head. "You're not his maid! He can clean himself or hire a housekeeper. He can afford it. Why you put up with his shite is beyond me," he said and finally left.

Remus hurried to his room and opened the door. "Coast's clear."

Regulus snuck into his own room and got dressed. Then he went to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea.

"Sirius wanted to talk to you," said Remus. "I promised I'd send you in when you got back from your walk."

"Oh, bugger. He's probably going to pester me again about my private matters again."

 **o0o0o**

Regulus went into his brother's room, finding him sitting on his bed with his feet up. "You called for me, Master?"

Sirius put his magazine down. "Don't give me an attitude, Reggie, I don't have the energy for it today. I wanna know if you have given college anymore thought? Have you talked to Mum and Dad about funding your education here?"

"I haven't decided on an education yet," mumbled Regulus, irritated to be constantly reminded by everybody.

"Well, it's time you do decide," said Sirius and crossed his arms. "Signing up ends soon and then there'll be a whole year before you can do it again."

It was true that he couldn't keep putting things off. He hadn't graduated upper school (and even if he had, he couldn't afford college), but he couldn't tell Sirius that. What was he going to do? "Well, it's an important decision!" he said angrily. "And it isn't your business anyway, so keep your bloody nose to yourself!"

"I'm trying to help you here!" barked Sirius. "Why the hell are you being so defensive? You've had a month to decide now, so make up your bloody mind, already! You can't just walk around doing nothing for a whole year, Reggie. You'll get bored."

It was true. Regulus was already bored out of his mind, and he would actually love to start studying, if only it were possible. "I can do what I want!" was the only argument he could come up with.

"You're a spoiled little brat," said Sirius. "Decide on something to do! Try to take some damn responsibility for your own life and decide on something for yourself. "

"Or what? You going to throw me out if I don't?"

 **o0o0o**

James came home and found Remus in the kitchen. "The two of them going at it again?" he asked. The brothers' voices could be heard throughout the apartment.

Remus sighed and nodded, twirling a spoon in his coffee. "Like always when Sirius mentions education to Regulus..."

James found a bag of Cheetos in the cabinet, opened it, and sat down at the kitchen table. "I don't get that kid. He doesn't seem interested in his education at all. I got no idea what he wants here. It ain't as if he seems to be enjoying himself very much, or his brother's company."

 **o0o0o**

"Of course I won't throw you out!" barked Sirius. "What kind of brother do you take me for? I'm only looking out for my little brother – is that so terrible?"

"Well, KEEP YOUR NOSE OUT OF IT!" screamed Regulus, feeling his resolve crumbling.

"I don't get you!" screamed Sirius back and flew up from his bed. "You don't want go to college, you don't want to work. What do you want to do? Do you want to go home? Is that it, because that can be arranged! You just call Mum and Dad and have them pick you up at the airport! Then you can tell them what a rotten time you had with your big brother!"

"SHUT UP!" screamed Regulus, to his frustration feeling tears rise in his eyes. "I'M NOT GOING BACK TO THEM! AND IT'S NOT YOUR BUSINESS WHERE I GO!"

"I think I'll call Mum and Dad to figure out what's going on. There's something not adding up here, Regulus, and I want to know what it is!"

"NO!" said Regulus, feeling his stomach constrict. "You're dead to them! And I'm not going home!" Fuck. Now he was actually crying. He quickly wiped a hand over his eyes in an attempt to hide it from his brother. He wanted to leave. Run out before Sirius noticed, but he was standing between him and the door.

Sirius' eyes narrowed. "I don't give a toss! I want to know what the fuck is going on! Why are you so adamant about not going back to them? Did they hurt you after I left?" Then he noticed the tears in his brother's eyes and his expression softened. "Why won't you talk to me? Tell me what's going on with you."

And then something broke inside Regulus and his knees buckled, sinking down on the bed. "I can't go home. There it is. Happy now?"

Sirius looked at him, expression puzzled. "What do you mean you can't go home?"

"I can't go home because… because they disowned me."

Sirius looked at him in shock and went over to sit down beside him. "Are you kidding me? _Why?_ " he asked in a small voice and placed a gentle hand on his brother's shoulder.

Regulus irritably shook off Sirius' hand. "Because I brought shame on the family."

"How the hell could you, of all people, bring shame to the family? You're the golden child."

"Right. You don't know anything about me. They found out that I... that I'm... like Remus."

"Like Remus?" said Sirius and tilted his head like a confused dog. "What do you mean, like Remus?"

"What do you think? Gay! I'm gay!"

Sirius' eyes widened. "And they disowned you for that?" He slapped a hand to his forehead. "Of course they did. Bloody bigots." He smiled at his brother. "Makes a lot more sense to me now, though. Why you never showed any interest in any of the birds throwing themselves at you."

Regulus didn't meet Sirius' eye. He was embarrassed. About his secrets being out in the open, and that his eyes must be red and puffy. "I didn't know where else to go."

"You aren't going anywhere. I'm glad you came," said Sirius and reached out to gently touch Regulus' shoulder again. "You're my brother and I love you. Even if you're a twat sometimes. But then again – so am I, I guess. You could have told me this from day one and we wouldn't have had to argue about it for so long." He sighed. "But if they disowned you, where did you get money to go here and to pay for food and rent?"

Regulus swallowed. "I sold everything of value I had. Even Polaris."

Sirius looked at him in shock. "I thought he had to be put down. Reggie, I'm so sorry. I'm glad you finally told me, though. Now we can start making plans about want to do with your education and all that. You're getting that college degree!"

"How? I'm not an American citizen. I don't even have a green card. And if I don't get one, they're going to throw me out of the country anyway when my visa expires."

"Don't worry about that. Jamie's dad has all the right connections. He can get you a green card as easily as snapping his fingers. Reg - what about the others? They need to know."

Regulus wrung his hands. "No. I don't feel like telling them."

"They'll find out sooner or later. You can't keep hiding it from them."

Regulus finally agreed. "Could you tell them, though? I don't know how..."

 **o0o0o**

James stopped chewing for a moment to listen. "It went quiet in there. Think they killed each other?"

Remus put his mug down, pricking up his ears. "Maybe they actually came to an agreement for once."

Sirius came into the kitchen, noticing that Peter wasn't home yet; but he would just have to tell him later. "Listen, lads," he said, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

Remus looked at him, afraid of what would come. _Oh no... Regulus is going home._ He felt a deep ache in his chest at the thought.

"He's been disowned," said Sirius and rubbed his neck. "He needs our help so he can stay here."

They were both stunned for a minute. "But I thought he was the golden child! Why the hell did they do that?" asked James.

"Because they found out that he's gay."

" _What?_ " said James. "He's gay? Why didn't he just tell us? And why the hell did your parents disown him just because of that?"

"Because they're cold bigots," said Sirius and leaned forward in his seat. "I don't know exactly what happened back there but it really did a number on my brother and now he can't go home, so we have to help him stay here. Could your dad fix it, Jamie?"

"Sure," said James. "I doubt it'll be a problem."

Sirius eyed both of them. James looked blown away but Remus not so much. "Remus, you don't look too surprised. Did you suspect something? Like some kind or gaydar?"

Remus gulped and shifted in his seat. "Well... something like that," he said, not sure it was a good idea to tell them that he already knew.

 **o0o0o**

Regulus was too embarrassed to come out of his room the rest of the day. He knew the others didn't have a problem with homosexuality - Remus was proof of that - but he still couldn't shake that feeling of shame his family had installed in him. He couldn't make up his mind if he regretted spilling his secret to Sirius or if he was actually relieved.

Remus knocked on his door when dinner was ready and asked if he could come in. When Regulus agreed, Remus walked in and sat down on his bed. "So... um... Sirius told us what happened back home," he started. "Are you okay? I mean with us knowing?"

"Well, I don't really have a choice, do I?" shrugged Regulus. "And, well, _you_ knew about my sexuality already." Regulus found that he was in fact more ashamed of being disowned than of being gay.

"I also meant your family situation," said Remus. "But it must be a relief that Sirius knows now and you don't have to sit on such a heavy secret no more. And you and Sirius can stop fighting so much." Remus had a bit of hope that Regulus might reconsider being his boyfriend, now that he was out. "Do you wanna stay here? Sirius said you did," he asked when Regulus didn't say anything.

"Well, that's the plan for now. I don't have anywhere else to go. Apart from Sirius, my whole family has shunned me. And my boyfriend… Well, I told you he abandoned me when things got hard."

"I'm so sorry, Regulus," sighed Remus. "Well, dinner is just about done. Do you wanna come out or do you want me to bring you some?"

"I really would rather not sit out there and have Potter and Pettigrew gawk at me."

"I'm sure they won't gawk at you. But if you'd rather take your dinner in here, I understand. I just think it's a bad habit to get into, hiding in your room."

"I didn't ask for your advice, yeah?" snapped Regulus. "But I'd appreciate if you would bring me some food."

Remus went to the kitchen to get a plate for Regulus, ignoring the curious eyes of the other residents.

"Room service for the diva?" said Peter, clearly thinking he was funny.

"Careful he doesn't hear you say that, Pete," said Remus as he walked by. "He might just have you for desert."

"Shove it, will you, Pete?" said James. "It ain't easy coming out. Especially for someone like him with what happened last someone found out."

 **o0o0o**

There was a knock on Regulus' door around eleven that night. "Who is it?"

"It's me, your fabulous brother," sounded Sirius' voice from the other side of the door.

Regulus sighed and pulled on a pair of sweat pants. He had been lying in his boxers on the bed, reading. "Come in."

Sirius came in and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at his brother. "We missed you at dinner. How come you didn't want to eat with us?"

"Why do you think?" sighed Regulus. "Not exactly in a social mood, am I?"

"You shouldn't be ashamed. No one is judging you here, you know," said Sirius. He let a finger run along the line of the sheet and sighed. "How did Mum and Dad find out? You know – about you being gay?"

Regulus was silent for a moment, considering if he should tell or not, but ended up deciding that he might as well get it over with. "I was caught snogging my... someone at school, by a bloke I didn't see eye-to-eye with. He told everybody – including Mother and Father. He knew they would hit the roof and that would be a perfect way to get to me."

"What a wanker," said Sirius. "That bloke that you snogged – was that your boyfriend?"

Regulus swallowed and tried to ignore the painful sting in his chest thinking of Barty caused. "Yeah... Since the beginning of the school year. So about half a year."

Sirius bit his lip and tried to read Regulus' expression. "How come you left England if you had a boyfriend? What happened? Did you break up?"

"Turned out he was a right prat. He threw me under the bus when we were exposed. Told the whole school I had been pestering him about hooking up for ages and that he finally got curious and decided to see what it was like snogging a bloke. Just for a laugh, he said."

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "What a twat. Well, at least you only snogged him and didn't go as far as shagging him."

"Of course, I shagged him," said Regulus, not wanting Sirius to think he was a nineteen-year-old virgin. "But since we were only caught snogging, he didn't have to admit that, did he? He didn't admit that we were serious and had been for half a year."

Sirius stared at his brother, fidgeting in his seat. "You shagged him? Okay... Well, that just makes him even more of a twat, doesn't it? I mean, acting like that when things got rough."

"I thought he loved me, but you don't treat people you love that way, do you? What a fool I was…" mumbled Regulus, looking down at his hands in his lap.

Sirius wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulder, knowing that an all-out hug might be pushing it, since his brother wasn't a very tactile person. "Sod him, Reggie. At least he showed his true colors early in the relationship so you didn't have to waste any more time on him." When there was no reply from his little brother, who still sat staring into his lap, "Sirius continued, "You'll find someone better, Reggie. You're so young. You have plenty of time."

"You don't have to comfort me. I don't have heart ache, or anything. I couldn't care less about him. I just feel stupid for trusting him."

"Alright," nodded Sirius and got to his feet. "Well, I hope you'll consider joining the rest of us tomorrow. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Are the others still up?" Regulus asked. He really needed to use the bathroom and he was also exhausted and wanted to get ready for bed.

"Remus is up working, but the others have gone to bed."

Regulus went. Remus looked up when he passed and wanted to say something, but Regulus closed the bathroom door before he got the chance. He looked at the closed door for a moment and felt his heart sink. Regulus was so cold to him unless they were having sex and even now that the others knew he was gay he _still_ seemed unwilling to show the slightest interest in Remus. Obviously, the fear of coming out had not been the reason he didn't want to be his boyfriend.


	10. Am I interrupting Something?

**Chapter 10 – Am I interrupting Something?**

A few weeks later when James and Remus were alone in the apartment, James confronted his friend. "Remus... you've been crazy miserable lately. How long have you been in love with him?"

"W-what?" said Remus, nearly dropping his cup of coffee. "What are you talking about? I'm not in love with no one." He tried to casually smile but it was hard to hide the hurt that stung deep in his heart whenever he thought about Regulus. The last few weeks he had ignored him pretty much completely, except for a couple of times when he had managed to seduce Remus yet again.

"Oh, drop it, Remus. I see the way you look at him and how miserable you are. Did you try making a move? Maybe he hasn't noticed you're interested."

"He knows I'm interested," said Remus and put his cup down. "But he doesn't want me."

James sighed and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You're probably better off. I can see he's pretty and all that, but he ain't the most charming person I've met, to say the least."

"I know... but I really like him and we got such good chemistry."

"Chemistry? How do you know that when you ain't never been with him?"

Remus gulped and looked down into his cup. He couldn't let James know they had had sex. He had promised Regulus. "It's just a feeling, I guess…"

"I never seen you in such a bad way before," said James, looking worried.

"I never have been," sighed Remus. "Not with any of my boyfriends or crushes. "I thought I'd been in love before, but…"

James gave his friend a hug. "There's nothing worse than unrequited love. But hey – not to get your hopes up or anything, but I spent two years winning Lily over. Might could show you a few tricks."

Remus actually laughed. "I very much doubt your moves would work on Regulus."

James laughed as well. "No, maybe not. Don't think he's a fan of my style. Never laughs at my jokes or nothing. But luckily I'm not the one trying to win his heart."

 **o0o0o**

One day when Regulus came home from a 7-mile run he found Remus sitting in the living room with a young man Regulus had never seem. Papers and books were spread around them and they were talking avidly. Regulus walked closer and asked Remus who was cooking that evening (even though he was well aware that it was Peter's turn), hoping to get some info on the man without seeming interested.

"It's Peter's turn," said Remus and smiled at Regulus.

The young man sat pretty close to Remus. A little too close for Regulus' taste.

"This is Noel," said Remus when he noticed Regulus looking at him. "We're working on a project together. Noel, this is Regulus – one of my room mates."

"Hey," smiled Noel.

Regulus stood there for a moment, looking Noel up and down. He was quite good looking with his big smile and golden blond hair, but Regulus didn't feel himself attracted to him in the slightest. "Hi," he mumbled and continued to his room.

Noel looked slightly perplexedly at Remus when Regulus had left, and Remus looked back at him with a nervous smile. "He's just a bit reserved," he explained and picked up a book.

"Very handsome, though," said Noel.

"Yes. Very," sighed Remus.

 **o0o0o**

Regulus was in a bad mood while showering. He didn't like Noel. He was sitting too close to Remus and smiling too much. And he was gay, Regulus was sure of that. He had seen the way he had checked him out when Remus introduced them.

On his way to his room Regulus stopped as he reached the living room and saw Noel leaning very close to Remus' face with the pretense of seeing something on his laptop screen. What? Was that bloke about to kiss Remus? Regulus coughed loudly. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all," said Remus, looking up from his laptop.

Noel smiled at Regulus. "I was just showing Remus a fun video on YouTube. You wanna see it?"

"No!" snorted Regulus and marched off to his room.

 **o0o0o**

At dinner that evening Regulus was clearly in a sour mood, not saying anything and stabbing every piece of food violently with his fork as if it needed to be killed before being eaten.

"What's with you?" asked Sirius with raised eyebrows.

"Can't a bloke be allowed to have a bad day?" snapped Regulus.

"You're moody almost on a daily basis," said Sirius. "But today is particularly bad."

Remus sat with his head bent. He hated when Regulus was in a bad mood and for some reason he felt it was his fault.

"Well, I'll spare you the nuisance of having to watch it!" said Regulus and got up. He tossed his half-empty plate on the counter and marched off to his room.

"I dunno what his problem is," sighed Sirius when Regulus slammed the door.

"Maybe it's PMS," grinned Peter.

The others laughed, except Remus.

 **o0o0o**

The next day Noel was back. Regulus decided to sit down at the PC in the living room. Not to spy, of course. Just because he didn't own a laptop (he had sold it) and he really needed to do some net-surfing, which just couldn't wait until later.

Remus was scribbling on a piece of paper and Noel reading something in a book when he slowly scooted closer to Remus and discreetly put a hand on his knee. Remus just smiled nervously and moved a little away from Noel, clearing his throat.

Regulus saw it and said loudly: "Do you have to be so loud? I'm trying to work here!"

"We didn't say anything," said Noel, looking a little puzzled.

"Yes, you've been talking loudly all the time. But why am I surprised? You Americans don't know how to speak at a normal volume."

"Why don't you try to relax?" said Noel as he swung an arm around Remus' shoulder. "We're working on a project and need to talk to each other. If you can't deal with that then why don't you just go somewhere else?"

"Yeah? Does that project involve feeling each other up?" said Regulus, shooting daggers at Noel.

Noel returned Regulus' gaze and gave Remus' shoulder a squeeze.

Remus looked uncomfortable and carefully removed Noel's arm. "We're not feeling each other up," he said, but felt like telling Regulus off. What did he care, anyway? He wasn't interested in a relationship. "We can just go work in my room if we disturb you so much," he said and made to get up.

"Don't bother!" said Regulus and turned off the computer. "I'll go to my room. At least there I can have some peace!" He left, fuming. He hated to leave them out of sight but them going to Remus' room was worse.

"What a hothead," said Noel.

"Yeah..." sighed Remus.

 **o0o0o**

When Noel left an hour later Regulus couldn't stop himself from going out to Remus to complain. "What's up with that bloke feeling you up in the living room? Why do you allow it?"

"He wasn't feeling me up, and even if he were then it wouldn't be your problem, would it?" said Remus and started emptying the dishwasher. "I'm not your boyfriend."

"Are you shagging him?" demanded Regulus, ignoring Remus' comment.

"What? No!"

" _Yet!_ " said Regulus.

"I got no plans on sleeping with Noel!"

"Well... Good. Because I think it's cheap to sleep with two people at the same time."

"I don't see how it's any of your business! It's not like you're interested in me – you've made that pretty clear!" said Remus feeling his temper rise.

"I just think you're a tart if you do anything with him!"

"It's none of your business what I do with him! You wanna fuck me but you don't want a relationship!" said Remus angrily. "You can't have it both ways, Regulus! And don't you dare call me a tart!"

Regulus was taken aback by Remus' sudden anger. He had never even heard him raise his voice before. "Well... okay," he mumbled and disappeared into his room.

 **o0o0o**

The next day when Noel came over to work on the project, Regulus kept himself in check, although he was itching to seize the idiot by the scruff of his neck and haul him out the door, punctuated by a good kick to the backside. But as soon as Remus closed the front door after Noel at the end of the afternoon, Regulus came up behind him, spun him around and grabbed a hold of his shirt, brutally attacking his lips with his mouth.

Remus' eyes widened as he collided with the door, the air sucked from him, the knob jabbing painfully into the small of his back. He wanted to push Regulus away but as usual the boy had him completely under his spell, so instead he wrapped his arms around him and kissed him back eagerly, opening his mouth to welcome Regulus' intrusive tongue.

Without breaking away from Remus, Regulus dragged him off to his room. Here he let go for a second to tear off first Remus' shirt and then his own, not caring if he stretched the neckline in the process.

Infected by Regulus' urgency, Remus fumbled desperately with the buttons on Regulus' denim shorts while their mouths crashed together again, teeth painfully colliding.

"Off," Regulus growled, pushing Remus' shorts and boxers down roughly. A moment later they were on the bed, Regulus on his back, pulling Remus down by the face. "Take me!" he demanded hotly, staring into wide amber eyes. "Skip the prep. I want you _now_!"

Remus did a double take, then scrambled to find condom and lube in the nightstand drawer, nearly toppling off the bed in his eagerness. He applied an excessive amount of lube, concerned about hurting Regulus, although the boy insisted that they get down to business immediately.

Regulus relaxed his lower body as much as he could in order to ease the intrusion, still egging Remus on while ignoring the pain. "Move!" he urged. "I'm not gonna break - I wanna feel you the rest of the week!"

Remus gave Regulus what he wanted, thrusting home and setting a brisk pace. "Fuck, Reg… you feel… so good… so tight and hot…"

"Yes!" moaned Regulus, throwing back his head and digging his heels into Remus' bottom. He moved his hips in Remus' rhythm, while making sexy noises and telling him to keep at it, to go ahead and be rough with him, to make him feel it properly.

Remus dipped his head to kiss Regulus' neck sloppily, panting against the hot, tautly stretched skin of the exposed jugular as he felt nails rake down his back. Responding to murmured orders of _Harder_ and _More, Remus_ and _Faster, Remus,_ he raised his head and steadied himself on his elbows so he could do what the boy under him was demanding.

Holding on to Remus' shoulders, Regulus planted his lips on the Southerner's neck and sucked a dark mark onto it (something he had never done before) and punctuated it with a sharp bite.

Remus responded with a yelp and looked down at Regulus' face to ask what that was about, but the sight of blackened eyes staring back at him, disheveled hair, lovely flushed cheeks, and puffy, wet lips slightly parted – the very picture of eroticism – made all thoughts sail from his mind as he felt a rush of pleasure rapidly traveling down his spine and spreading throughout his lower body. "Fuck…" he gasped. "Fuck, Reg, I'm gonna come… Can't stop…"

"'s okay, I'm ready," moaned Regulus, quickly grabbing a hold of his own achingly hard member and started stroking it furiously. "Come, Remus, take everything you want from me!"

Remus let himself go, chasing his orgasm, hips pistoning away, and letting out a hoarse cry as he came, hot and hard and long. At some point during, he felt Regulus arching like a bow underneath him and hot wetness splattering onto his stomach. After lying boneless for a moment, Remus he rolled off and lay on his back next to Regulus, completely out of breath.

"How was that?" asked Regulus after a short breathing pause. He knew the answer, of course, but he wanted to hear Remus say it.

The Southerner raised his head tiredly from the pillow to look at Regulus. "That was amazing," he gasped, still out of breath and thoroughly sweat-soaked from the vigorous work-out.

Regulus knew that Remus loved when he would cuddle afterwards – perhaps even more than the sex. Regulus rarely did it, but today he really wanted to please Remus, so he rolled up next to him, nuzzling into his neck, and wrapping an arm around him. Fortunately, they had the place to themselves for another few hours, so they could cuddle for a while.

Remus looked at him in surprise but then smiled happily and held him, kissing the top of Regulus' head lovingly. He wanted so desperately to pour his heart out, to say how he felt about him, but he knew it would only push him further away.

Regulus was reluctant to admit to himself that he also enjoyed these rare cuddling sessions, but he had to be careful. This was the sort of behavior that nurtured feelings. Sex was easier. As long as it was just something physical, Regulus could keep his feelings under control. He could not allow himself to fall in love again.

When Remus fell asleep a little later, Regulus sat up quietly so as not to wake him. He meant to leave, but then his eyes fell on Remus' sleeping face and he couldn't stop looking. He had never studied him this closely and carefully before. A ray of sunlight seeping in through the curtains lit up part of his face, making his tawny bangs shine golden. Regulus reached out to very gently trace a finger along an eyebrow. There was a faint scar there from a once split eyebrow. Regulus wondered how he had gotten it. Had someone punched him? Had he fallen? Walked into something? How old had he been? He studied the freckles sparsely sprinkled under Remus' eyes and across the bridge of his nose. They weren't prominent, so it wasn't the first thing you noticed when looking at him. They suited his gentle face extremely well, Regulus thought. He leaned down to press his lips to them but stopped himself a few inches away. What exactly was he doing? You didn't kiss the freckles of people you didn't have feelings for! And Regulus certainly did not have feelings for Remus.


	11. You're Giving Us Away

**Chapter 11 - You'll Give Us Away**

Noel was back the next day. Regulus felt contempt stir in his stomach the second he saw him. He had meant to go for a run but changed his mind and stayed home. If the two of them were left alone, there was no telling what would happen. To Regulus' great irritation Remus was wearing a turtleneck. Why the hell did he have to wear a turtleneck in this heat? Of course, Regulus knew why. But if Remus truly wasn't interested in Noel's advances, then why would he bother making an effort to hide that love bite Regulus had planted on him the day before?

Regulus decided to go to the kitchen and make some preparations for dinner. On his way there, he turned off the air conditioning. If Remus wanted to sit and boil inside his stupid turtleneck, he might as well do it properly. He left the door standing ajar so he could hear what was going on in the living room.

Noel smiled at Remus and took a sip of his coffee as Remus talked about their assignment. "You got a hair sticking out," Noel said.

"Huh?"

"Here," he said and hooked a strand of hair behind Remus' ear.

"Oh... thanks," Remus said and quickly opened another book, flipping through the pages.

"Hey, Remus," said Noel a few minutes later. "I like you a whole lot. I was thinking that maybe you'd like to -"

He was cut off by Regulus who came storming into the living room and pointed a finger in his face. "Listen to me, you bloody wanker: you better stop hitting on Remus!" he demanded.

"Why?" asked Noel. "What's it to you?" He narrowed his eyes at the young Brit. "Remus is single, as far as I understand."

"No, he isn't! He's taken!"

"Oh, really? By whom?"

Regulus gritted his teeth. Then he gave in. "By me! Yeah, that's right – he's _my_ boyfriend, so keep your bleeding paws to yourself! Got it?" he finished before marching back to the kitchen, slamming the door behind him.

 **o0o0o**

When his study partner had left, Remus went into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. "So... did you mean what you said or did you just say it to get Noel to leave me alone?"

Regulus hesitated. Why had he been so dumb as to say that Remus was his boyfriend? He hadn't wanted to get involved with Remus; but seeing Noel with him had just made Regulus want him even more. And not just available for sex. All of him. He finally turned and looked at Remus. "Yeah. I don't say things unless I mean them. Unless you don't want me, of course. I just figured that you did."

"You know I do," beamed Remus and stepped up to Regulus, feeling happiness bubble in his stomach. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening. That Regulus had finally decided to be with him.

Regulus placed his hands on Remus' shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. "I don't want to see you with other boys. And I don't want them touching you. Only me."

Remus rested his forehead against Regulus'. "I don't _wanna_ be touched by anyone else. I'm crazy about you. You know that."

Regulus kissed him possessively, mumbling, "That bloke needs to keep his bloody paws to himself. I hope he finally got the message."

Remus kissed him back and placed his hands on his waist, lifting him up to sit on the counter. "He made you that jealous, huh?" he smirked and stepped in between Regulus' legs, reconnecting their lips.

Regulus broke the kiss, although he thought Remus hoisting him up on the counter like that was quite sexy. "No," he denied. "I just don't want him touching you, because that's _my_ privilege. Doesn't mean I'm jealous. I just don't like sharing."

"Alright," grinned Remus. "But don't worry – I only want you." He leaned in and kissed Regulus again, taking a firm hold on his hips.

"You better remember that," gasped Regulus into Remus' mouth, wrapping his legs around his waist and pulling him in to press hard against his body. He got lost in the older boy, forgetting where they were, until suddenly he heard the front door slamming and the laughing voices of James and Sirius.

Remus jumped away from Regulus, who leaped off the counter and snatched a knife from the block and looked around desperately before grabbed a loaf of bread which he started sawing at.

"Oh, there you lads are," said Sirius as he stuck his head round the door. "Anything interesting happen today?"

"No!" they said in unison.

Sirius raised his eyebrows at them because of the quick answer but then shrugged. "Reggie, I need to talk to you if you have a minute."

Regulus sighed and put the knife down. He was getting sick of all Sirius' little talks.

They went to sit down in the living room and Sirius turned to Regulus with a serious expression. "Since you don't have any funding from the old bats anymore, you should probably consider getting a job so you can start saving up for college."

"I can't go to college," sighed Regulus. "I didn't graduate. Mother and Father pulled me out of Eton before the final exams. They thought I had embarrassed myself enough there…"

"You can take senior year at high school here. Public school is free. And it doesn't start until September so you have the whole summer to work and save up as much as you can. Then when school starts you can work less but you still have to work and continue saving up. You also need to make money for food and rent," continued Sirius. "Your money's going to run out sooner or later, and I can't support the both of is in the long run."

Regulus sighed dramatically. It made sense what Sirius said. It was just that... a job? An unskilled job, no less. That was something for the working class. "Yeah, alright," he mumbled.

"They need someone at the restaurant. If you charm the costumers for tips you can make a decent pay. And I can help you, so it would be a good place to start."

"Me, a waiter?" Regulus laughed. "Forget it!"

"Well, what else do you want to do? I think they also need a dishwasher…"

"A _dishwasher_? No bleeding way!"

"Then take the waiter job! You can't afford to be picky," said Sirius. "There's nothing wrong with being a waiter. I do it, and it doesn't make me less of a person."

Regulus groaned. "Serving commoners like some loser? No thanks!"

"Quit being such a snob! Suck it up and try out the job."

Regulus sighed and finally agreed to come down to the restaurant the next day to be introduced to the manager.

 **o0o0o**

Remus knocked on Regulus' door later that evening. "Are you okay with letting the others know that we're together now or do you wanna keep it a secret?" he asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"They'll find out sooner or later, I suppose, but I don't really feel like telling them already. Let's give it a chance first. I mean, perhaps we won't even last, so let's wait and see, yeah?"

Remus looked a little hurt at the idea of them not lasting, but he was still bubbling with happiness, so he quickly forgot about it. "Well, it might just work out fine. Have you considered that?"

"Of course. I'm just saying, you never know. And could you stop smiling like an idiot all the time? They're wondering why you're in such a good mood. You'll give us away."

 **o0o0o**

Around midnight when everybody had gone to bed and the apartment was quiet, Regulus snuck into Remus' room. He quietly locked the door behind him and tiptoed over to the bed.

Remus was lying on his side, shirtless and breathing calmly. He didn't register Regulus slipping into his bed and just mumbled in his sleep when the mattress dipped. Just in boxers, Regulus moved in behind Remus and wrapped an arm around him, burying his nose in the crook of his neck and pressed his lips to it softly.

Remus hummed and pulled Regulus' arm more snugly around himself. 'Regulus?" he smiled, eyes still closed. "What a nice surprise." He slipped his fingers between Regulus' and gave his hand a squeeze.

Regulus kissed his way up Remus' neck and sucked on his earlobe for a moment. "Mmm... The others won't notice. Everybody's leaving early for lessons tomorrow, aren't they?"

"Yeah, they all do on Thursdays," said Remus. "Me too, usually, but I can sleep in tomorrow because of the assignment I'm working on with Noel. He ain't coming until noon."

Regulus stiffened at the mentioning of Noel, then tightened his grip around Remus' waist, digging his nails into his stomach, drawing a hiss from Remus. "When is that assignment over?"

"Friday," said Remus and brought Regulus' hand up to his lips to kiss it. He then turned around to face the boy and gently stroked his face with two fingers.

The thought of Noel made a raging jealousy claw at Regulus' chest. Why did Remus have to sit with him two more days?

 _It doesn't matter. He's yours now. It's you he wants. He's been begging for a serious relationship for ages._

Remus leaned in and gently kissed Regulus' soft lips, feeling his frustration and hoping a kiss could resolve it. He had a pretty good idea what this was about.

Regulus kissed back, deeply and slowly, letting his hands run up and down Remus' chest and sides. "It's too risky shagging while the others are in the house," he mumbled, when feeling a hand move down to give his bottom a squeeze. "But we can snog and sleep together, yeah?"

Remus smiled into the kiss as his hands slowly roamed Regulus' back. It felt wonderful lying together just kissing and cuddling. It was something he had longed for ever since they had started having sex. And the fact that it was Regulus who had snuck into his room and initiated it made it even better. It was the first time he had come to Remus not for sex.

They continued kissing, Regulus expertly using his tongue to softly swipe across Remus' lips while moving his hands lightly over the sensitive parts of his body.

Remus let out a soft gasp, goosebumps rising on his skin his wherever Regulus' hand touched. He sucked on Regulus' bottom lip and drew circles around a nipple, knowing this was a very sensitive spot of his. He then let his hands travel down his stomach, fingertips lightly touching the skin to make it as sensitive as possible.

"Um..." said Regulus and broke the kiss while stopping Remus' hand. He was getting aroused and that was no good. "No sex, remember?"

"Right," sighed Remus. He took a deep breath and rested his forehead against Regulus', smiling at him. "You're just so delicious I can't keep my hands off you. But you're right. I'll stop," he said and shifted, but couldn't help but "accidentally" brushing against Regulus' crotch.

Regulus' breath hitched at the contact. "You're teasing me... that's not very nice when we can't do anything."

Remus looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "Teasing you? What do you mean?" he asked innocently as he adjusted himself and let his thigh brush against Remus' crotch once again.

"Stop it! We agreed we couldn't do anything. My brother is sleeping right next door."

Remus bit his lip and walked his fingers down the curve of Regulus' spine. "Too bad we can't. I'd like to fuck you nice and good, you being all sexy like this... but you're right – we'd likely wake the others. You're pretty loud when I'm giving it to you good."

Regulus' jaw went slack. Hearing Remus talk like that was so hot that he could practically feel all his blood rushing south. "I'm… I'm not loud. I mean – I didn't use to be. Remember when we first shagged, you commented on that? So It's not as though I can't control it. But we still shouldn't."

"Remus leaned in and kissed him seductively, pushing his tongue into his mouth. His hand grabbed a hold around Regulus' knee and moved it up to hook around his own waist while doing a roll of his hips. He just couldn't help himself.

"Oh... Oh, God," moaned Regulus. How had things turned upside down so fast? Having Remus wrapped around his little finger, it had always been Regulus seducing him, and suddenly Remus was the one cajoling Regulus into sex. "We... we shouldn't..."

"I know... but I want you so badly... don't you think we could? If we stay real quiet?" pleaded Remus, trailing wet kisses along Regulus' jawline and down his neck.

"This bloody bed is so creaky. We'll make noise even if we stay quiet…" A soft moan escaped Regulus' lips. "Perhaps… perhaps we could just get each other off?" he suggested. "If we lie still."

"Yeah... we could do that," said Remus and slipped a hand inside Regulus' boxers while he licked a wet stripe along the shell of his ear. "Not as good as fucking you, but I'll take what I can get."

"Fuck…" Regulus whispered and leaned his head back. Then he pushed Remus' briefs down and urged him to roll onto his side so they could lie with their erections pressed against each other. They both closed a hand around their joined cocks and pumped away while kissing enthusiastically. To his embarrassment Regulus only lasted a minute. He drowned a quiet moan in Remus' neck and kept working Remus' cock at a furious pace until Remus finished in Regulus' fist a few minutes later.

They cleaned themselves up and got comfortable under the covers. Remus put his arms around Regulus, who was lying with his head on Remus' chest. Remus kissed his hair and closed his eyes, humming, "This is nice. I could get used to you sleeping in my bed every night."


	12. You Have to Work with what You've Got

**Chapter 12 –** **You Have to Work with what You've Got**

When Sirius came home from the university the next afternoon he took Regulus with him down to the restaurant. "Kingsley?" he called and stuck his head in the back door.

A tall man came walking out from the back room, wiping his hands in a tea towel. "Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit! If it ain't little Mr. Black," the man beamed and stuck out his hand. "Regulus, right? I'm Kingsley. It's really my last name but everybody calls me that." He laughed in a booming voice.

"Hallo," said Regulus, hesitantly offering his hand. Although the man had just wiped his hands they were still a bit greasy, Regulus noticed.

"So you might wanna work here?" Kingsley asked and showed Regulus to a table where they sat down. "You worked as a waiter before?"

"No, I haven't."

"What work experience you got, then?"

"None. I've been a student until now. I'm just 19."

"So you got no experience at all," Kingsley said and shot a glance at Sirius.

"I didn't have any either," said Sirius. "I only had my charm and intelligence and Regulus has that as well."

Kingsley looked a little skeptically at Regulus and then nodded. "Alright. I'll give you a trial run. Your brother can help you get started."

"Gee, how lucky am I?" said Regulus sarcastically. "You sound you're giving me a shot at the Nobel Price or something."

Kingsley looked at Regulus in surprise and then at Sirius who sent his brother a warning look. He then turned back to Kingsley and smiled "Don't pay attention to him. He just has a dry sense of humor, especially when he's nervous. It's a British thing," he tried. "But you can cut that out, Regulus! Americans often misunderstand it."

He then got up and dragged Regulus off. "What the hell 's the matter with you? The bloke is giving you a job without you having any experience at all. You know how lucky you are to get that?"

"It's a rotten job," said Regulus. "If Mother and Father could see me now, they would be so ashamed."

"They're _already_ ashamed of both of us! Why do you care so much? They're idiots! And being a waiter is not a bad job. It makes people happy. You'll see. You will learn to like it if you just give it a chance. You need the money, Reggie so this is not the time to be picky and think about Mum and Dad and shame."

Regulus sighed dramatically. "Alright. So what do I do? Just walk around and ask people what they want?"

"Yes, and bring them their food and smile. Remember to smile. That will bring you good tips."

"Okay," said Regulus and looked around. He spotted a couple of students who had just sat down and didn't look like they had been welcomed yet. Regulus resolutely went over there before Sirius could stop him. "Hi. What do you want?" Regulus asked.

The students looked at him in bafflement. "We... what?"

Sirius hurried over to Regulus and put his hands on his shoulders to turn him away from them. "I'm sorry. He's new. I'll be with you in a sec." He quickly pulled Regulus aside. "You can't just ask people like that! You say 'Hello, how are you today? Would you like to see the menu? Can I take your order?" That sort of thing. Not 'what do you want?' That's rude."

Regulus sighed and went back to the guests. "Alright. What would your lordships like to order?"

The students looked at each other again and then at the menu. "I'll have the double-bacon-cheese burger," said the young man. "And a Coke. Large."

"I'd like a green salad and a mineral water, please," said the girl, eying Regulus a little skeptically.

"Right," said Regulus and went back to Sirius. "What do I do now?"

"You take the order to the kitchen," said Sirius. "And don't address them as their lordships. Try to act like you actually want this job."

"First you complain that I'm rude and when I'm polite you complain as well!"

"Ah, come off it! You sound sarcastic when you call people lordships," said Sirius and crossed his arms. "You call women _ma'am_ and men _sir_. Southerners are very polite and it's the respectful thing to do."

"What? They're my age! I'm not calling someone my own age – and very likely of a lower birth – sir and ma'am!"

Sirius' curled his fists. "Bloody hell, Regulus, sometimes I just want to give you a right kick in the arse! You address people ma'am and sir – at least those who are older than you. Pretend they're teachers at Eton."

Regulus just rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Let me show you how it's done," continued his brother. "But first let's get this order delivered."

They went into the kitchen with the slips of paper for the cooks. Then Sirius prepared the drinks on a tray and told Regulus to follow him.

"Here you go," said Sirius and served the drinks with a smile. "Your food will be right up." He then pulled Regulus aside. "See? It isn't hard to be polite."

"Well, take an order, then," said Regulus, eying four girls entering the restaurant. "Show me some more."

"Alright," said Sirius, running a hand through his hair before walking over to the girls who had taken a seat by a window.

"Hello and welcome, fair ladies," he smiled, handing them all menus "Just let me know when you see something you like and you're ready to order."

The girls smiled and looked him up and down. "Oh, I don't know what to choose," said one, licking her lips as she ran a hand through her long straight hair. "What do you recommend?"

"Well, we make ace burgers – right off the grill," smiled Sirius. "But I can also recommend the soup of the day - Italian minestrone. I had it for lunch today myself."

"Oh, I'll trust your recommendation, then," smiled the girl. "It's not too fattening, is it? I gotta watch my figure."

"Low calorie and loads of veggies," smiled Sirius. "Not that you need to watch your figure. You all look gorgeous."

The girls giggled and Sirius took their orders before returning to Regulus. "And that's how it's done. I'll probably get a nice fat tip for that one."

"So you want me to flirt with the costumers like a common whore?" said Regulus, crossing his arms. "Not happening. I'm not cheap!"

Sirius shot his hands into the air. "Flirting doesn't make you a whore! Tasteful flirting is the way to go. I was giving those girls a compliment, which made them feel good about themselves. It's called being nice. You should try it. You won't land any tips with your attitude."

"I'm not working for tips. I'm working for my salary."

"Well, over here the minimum wage is extremely low, and waiters rely mostly on their tips. You only get paid seven dollars an hour, and Kingsley even pays better than most restaurant owners."

" _Seven_ _dollars?_ " said Regulus, shocked.

"Yeah," said Sirius. "You have to make good tips to get by as a waiter, Reggie. You're not a rich kid anymore and you have neither a finished education nor work experience, You have to work with what you got – and your biggest asset right now is your looks. Use it well, and you'll make good tips. It has nothing to do with prostitution. You're not offering up your body, it's just flirting. You're bloody pretty with those big eyes and smooth face. You look innocent and sensitive – something that goes straight to young birds' hearts, and mature women's mother instinct. But when you open your mouth and act rude and arrogant, you mess up that image."

" _What?_ You want me to act like a doe-eyed schoolboy?" said Regulus incredulously. "That's not what _you_ do!"

"No, I have other things going for me. I'm sexy and charming in a sassy way. That's the image I fit best. Like I said – you have to work with what you've got."

"That's because that's the way you _are_! You're asking me to be something I'm not!"

"You can put on an act, can't you? You never had a problem sucking up to important people Mum and Dad wanted to make a good expression on. You were always the little angel when it was expected of you. So try to imaging our guests are important people you have to make a good impression on, if that's what it takes."

"So," sounded Kingsley's deep voice behind them and he came up to them. "Getting the hang of it?"

"Just getting the instructions down," said Regulus.

"Good, good. Well, I'm expecting you to start on Monday along with Sirius."

 **o0o0o**

Regulus did not look forward to a whole day of work that Monday as he trudged down the street with his brother. At the restaurant he was given the shirt that was the restaurant's uniform and a pad and pen to write down orders.

"Alright. Let's see how it goes," said Sirius.

The first customers arrived around lunch time and Sirius took Regulus to a table where a middle-aged man had sat down. "You take this one and try to act civilized."

"Hello," said Regulus in a bored tone and pulled out his pad. "What can I get you? Sir."

The man studied the menu for a minute. "I'll have the soup of the day and a glass of the house wine, please."

"We don't have wine," said Regulus. "This is America and for some reason they're scared of alcohol and don't serve it in family restaurants. You should know that. You sound American."

The man looked a little surprised. "I'm Canadian," he informed. "You really don't serve wine?"

"This is a family restaurant!" repeated Regulus. "Like I just said."

"Very well... I'll have a club soda, then," said the man, looking a little offended.

"All right," said Regulus and left to take the order to the kitchen.

Next costumers to sit at one of Regulus' tables were two teenage girls. "What can I get you?" asked Regulus.

"Two cheese burgers and two Diet Cokes," said one of the girls and fluttered her eyelashes at him. "And maybe your phone number?"

" _Maria_ ," said the other girl and giggled, clearly a little embarrassed by her friend's forwardness.

Regulus narrowed his eyes. "Do you think I'm a rent boy? Just because I work waiting on people?"

"What? No, I just think you're cute. That's all," the girl said and smiled a little nervously.

"Well, I'll get you your stuff."

Sirius caught up with him on his way to the kitchen, looking mad. "Would you stop acting like a victim every time someone gives you a compliment? That bird was giving you one and you lashed out. You're gonna get fired!"

"Well, she made me feel violated!" retorted Regulus.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Oh, come off it, you drama queen! She was asking for your bloody phone number, not asking how much you charge an hour."

"I have a job to do," mumbled Regulus and hurried off to the kitchen.

Things went alright for a while until Regulus brought the wrong drink to an unpleasant costumer.

"I told you Sprite! This is Dr. Pepper! Can't you tell the difference or are you damn Brits color blind?"

Regulus felt anger well up in him and before he could think about what he was doing, he took the glass and tossed the content in the man's face.

Hearing the man yell, Sirius hurried over and saw to his horror that the man was soaked.

The man jumped to his feet and pointed a finger at Regulus. "You little punk! I'll have you fired for this!"

"Come now," said Sirius, trying to calm the man down. "I'm sure Regulus didn't mean to do this. Right?" He sent Regulus a stern gaze. "It was an accident, yes?"

Some of the other waiters had seen the incidence as well and huddled together to talk. Kingsley rushed out from the kitchen, having heard the ruckus. "What's going on here?"

"I want this waiter fired!" repeated the customer and pointed at Regulus.

"I'm so sorry, sir," said Kingsley. "I'm sure there's a good explanation for this."

" _Explanation_? I'm soaked!"

"Well, it's hot outside and with that temper you could do with some cooling off," retorted Regulus

"Don't you start up an attitude with me, boy," said the man angrily and took a napkin from Sirius to wipe his face.

Sirius lead Regulus away from the scene and pushed him against a wall in the staff room. "What the hell, Reggie? Are you deliberately trying to get fired? You don't throw drinks in people's faces!"

Kingsley joined them a few minutes later, livid. "I didn't expect that kind of behavior from your brother, Sirius! I'm shocked!"

"He asked for it!" said Regulus. "He insulted me!"

"I don't care if he insulted your mother! You ask him nicely to leave if he can't behave. Or you fetch an experienced waiter. You do not throw drinks on him!" scolded Kingsley.

"Whatever," said Regulus, rolling his eyes. Then he left for the kitchen.

"I'm giving him one more chance, Sirius, for your sake only. But I tell you - if there's as much as one more attitude problem, he's out on his ass!"

"Yes. Thank you, Kingsley."

 **o0o0o**

They arrived home at around eleven and found that James and Peter had already gone to bed. Remus was the only one still up, wanting to know how his boyfriend had managed on his first day at work. Also, he hoped that Regulus would want to sleep in his room tonight. He could really use some cuddling.

Both Regulus and Sirius looked in a bad mood and Sirius went straight to his room after giving Remus a quick hello.

Regulus sat down on the couch next to Remus. "What a day. Being a waiter blows."

"So it didn't go well?" said Remus disappointedly. He had hoped for Regulus' sake that this would work out.

"Not very. I hope tomorrow is better."

"It probably is," said Remus and kissed Regulus' cheek. "You wanna sleep in my room tonight?" he asked hopefully.

Regulus nodded. "If Sirius goes to bed soon. I'm dead tired and I don't think I can stay awake for a long time waiting to sneak into your room."

"He probably will," smiled Remus. "And if not, I'll sneak into your room once he's gone to bed."

Just then, Sirius walked through the living room, ignoring Regulus completely and going to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Afterwards, he said goodnight to Remus and went to his room.

Remus sighed and leaned back on the couch. "You two should really learn to get along."

"He didn't like my performance at my new job," said Regulus. "As if I can be expected to do perfectly on my first day. He's not a very good teacher."

"I'm sure Sirius will do better tomorrow, but you also gotta give him a chance to teach you," said Remus, guessing that Regulus probably wasn't giving Sirius much of a break.

 **o0o0o**

"You should talk more," said Regulus as they lay in bed, Regulus resting his head on Remus' chest.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"You have a lovely voice. Sort of… soft and warm. I like listening to it." Remus chuckled, the sound vibrating in Regulus' ear. Regulus raised his head a little to catch Remus' eye. "Don't laugh at me. I'm serious."

"I'm not laughing at you," smiled Remus, tracing one of Regulus' eyebrows with a gentle finger. "I'm glad you like my voice."

Regulus laid his head back down on Remus' chest. "I like your accent too. It's very soothing. I could listen to it for hours."

"Yeah?" Remus chuckled again. "I'm afraid I wouldn't know what to say for hours straight," he drawled in an exaggerated Southern accent.

"You could read to me," suggested Regulus, raising his head again.

"Might could," said Remus, pulling the other boy's head up for a kiss. "What would you like me to read?"

"Doesn't matter much" Regulus shrugged. "You decide."

"No, you go pick a book," said Remus, giving Regulus a little push.

Regulus got out of bed and crossed the room to browse through Remus' many books on his shelves. He suddenly looked over his shoulder at Remus. "You only sent me over here so you could look at my bum."

"That's right, darlin'," grinned Remus. "I got a real nice view from here. Do take your good time picking a book."

 **o0o0o**

Next day was Sirius' day off, and Regulus hoped he wouldn't come along with him just to keep an eye on him. "I can handle myself!" he declared at the breakfast table. "Besides, don't you have plenty of studying to do? Your exams are coming up, yeah?"

"I don't think you're ready to do the job on your own yet, so I'm tagging along," said Sirius and scraped some butter on a piece of toast. "I'll just bring a textbook to the restaurant."

"I know what to do. I learned it all yesterday," insisted Regulus. "I also learned not to throw drinks in people's faces, so don't worry about that."

"I still think I should keep an eye on you," said Sirius.

"Have a little faith in him, Sirius," said Remus. "Maybe he'll actually do better without you breathing down his neck."

"Exactly!" agreed Regulus.

"Hmm," hummed Sirius and looked from Remus to Regulus. "Alright... I'll let you work on your own. But you ring me if you need me, yeah? And behave!"

 **o0o0o**

The restaurant was busy when Regulus arrived and Kingsley tossed him his uniform and told him to hurry up. "You take the tables outside," he informed Regulus when he had changed.

"What? It's bloody hot outside! I want to stay in here."

"You do as you're told. This is your last chance, remember?" said Kingsley and walked back to the kitchen.

Regulus went outside and looked around. There were two sets of guests who looked like they had just arrived. He went over to the ones who looked the least annoying. "Hello. What can I help you with?"

The guests smiled at him. "We'd like to start with some ice water, please," said the woman. "The heat is murder."

"We can agree on that," nodded Regulus. "Why don't you go sit inside? I think there's a free table."

"My wife enjoys watching the people walking by," smiled the man.

Regulus gave them each a menu and went to get their water.

"I'd like the T-bone," said the man when Regulus came back with the water. "I could really use me a good steak."

"And what about you?" Regulus' asked the woman. "Ma'am," he added, remembering that's how he was supposed to address people.

"I'll have the shrimp salad. I always had a weakness for shrimps." She smiled amicably at Regulus.

"If you ask me, these shrimps look like they've been dead for a while. I wouldn't eat them."

The woman looked at him in surprise. "Well... what would you suggest, then?"

Regulus shrugged. "I don't know. I don't eat here. Listen - forget what I said. I'm sure those shrimps are better than they look," he said, wanting to cut the conversation short.

"But if they're no good? Can I please talk to the cook, then?" she asked. "Just to make sure. I don't wanna get food poisoning."

"No!" said Regulus. "If you're afraid to get sick, just order something else, will you?" he snapped.

"No need for such a tone, young man," said the husband. "You're the one who said the food was bad and my wife is not feeling safe with her choice now and you won't recommend anything else for her. What kind of waiter are you?"

"Hey - I make seven dollars an hour. Do you expect me to be some kind of expert? Just pick some bloody food, will you?"

"You would make a whole lot more if you had a better attitude!" said the man and got up from his seat. "You're never gonna get any tips this way. Come on, Heather – we're leaving."

Kingsley came rushing out from the restaurant, looking livid. "Regulus! Why did they leave?"

"They didn't like the menu," said Regulus. "They couldn't decide on anything."

The guests at the adjourning tables looked surprised and started shaking their heads and mumbling to each other.

The large man crossed his arms and looked at Regulus a little skeptically. "Go inside and help Marlene with the new deliveries. She could use a hand and you could use a break from out here."

Kingsley came back in five minutes later and found Regulus in the back, unpacking a large box of canned tomatoes. "Regulus, I consider myself a reasonable man, but I don't like it when my employees lie to me. So tell me – why are you lying to me?"

"Lying? I'm not lying! Those customers couldn't find anything on the menu they liked. The woman, at least. She was very difficult."

"Some of the other guests just told me you said the shrimps were bad and you were rude when she asked you what else you could recommend."

Regulus rolled his eyes. "I just told her that _I_ wouldn't eat those shrimps, which isn't a lie. What's the big deal, anyway?"

"The big deal is that we're supposed to sell food here and we can't sell anything if we tell people that we wouldn't eat it ourselves!"

"Alright! I won't do it again, alright?"

"No, you won't, because I don't think you really get it. You got a real attitude problem, Regulus, and I can't have that in my staff so I'm afraid I'm gonna have to let you go."

Regulus was about to protest but then said, "Fine!" and tossed his pad and pen on the floor. "I don't want to work in this cheap joint, anyway!"

 **o0o0o**

Remus was sitting in the living room when he heard the front door slam. "Hello?" he called and checked his watch. No one was supposed to be home yet. Both Regulus and Peter were at work, James was at Lily's, and Sirius had gone to the movie theater with a date. "Who's there?"

Being in a foul mood, Regulus ignored Remus' question and went straight to his room.

Remus heard the door to Regulus' room slam shut, and after a moment's hesitation he carefully approached it to knock. "Regulus? Can I come in?" He suspected that it might be safer to go into a lion's den than Regulus' room right now, but he felt like he had to be the supportive boyfriend.

"No," said Regulus. "Go away."

Sirius came back an hour later. "Blimey, a rotten film," he complained as he came into the living room and threw himself on the couch. "Rotten actors, rotten plot, rotten everything. The bird turned out to be pretty boring as well."

"Mm..." mumbled Remus, still thinking about his boyfriend. "Um... Regulus came home early," he said, trying not to sound like a snitch.

"Huh?" Sirius looked at his watch. "His shift doesn't end until seven! What happened? Where is he?"

"His room. I don't know what happened. He wouldn't talk to me."

Sirius went into Regulus' room without knocking. It didn't take half a minute until Remus heard Sirius start shouting. From what Remus could hear, it was clear that Regulus had been fired.

Ten minutes later Sirius came back out and slumped down on the couch. "He was fired," he informed.

Remus looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Oh... I'm sorry."

"Well, the little bastard isn't."


	13. I Miss You Loads

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Here's a long chapter for you :) Remember to check out Zayhad's drawing on her deviantart**

* * *

 **Chapter 13 – I Miss You Loads**

Regulus logged into his e-mail account and froze when he spotted the sender on one of his new mails. How the hell...? He had never expected to hear from Barty again. Not with the way things had ended. With a pounding heart he opened the mail.

 _Dearest Regulus_

 _How are you? I hope you are well. I miss you loads, and I was wondering if I could come see you? Or you could come home. I know you went to live with your brother in the States after your family disowned you, but I have my own place now, so you're welcome to come live with me or at least stay for a while, just to see how it goes?_

 _Love you,_

 _Barty_

Regulus stared at the message for several minutes after reading it. So Barty thought that Regulus would take him back just like that, after what he had done? How he had closed the door on him when he was in deep need and had no one else? No way in hell. Regulus Black did not forgive easily. Besides, all feelings he had once had for Barty were gone. He had Remus now and his feelings for him were growing stronger every day.

He spent the rest of the day thinking about what to do about the e-mail. Finally, he decided to just give Barty the cold shoulder and ignore him. He would probably get the hint.

 **o0o0o**

Remus knocked on Regulus' door in the evening and walked in to sit down on his bed when invited. "How are you?" he asked with a kind smile as he reached out his hand to touch Regulus.

"Fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Regulus said moodily.

"You'll find another job," said Remus and scooted closer to his boyfriend, encouraged by the fact that he had not pushed his hand away. "It's your first experience with a job; no one can blame you for making a mistake. Next time you'll do better." He slipped a hand under Regulus' long hair to rub the back of his neck comfortingly.

Regulus leaned his head into Remus' touch, closing his eyes and humming in content. "Blimey, I could use a good shag right now..."

Remus' eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I wish we could, but as you always say, they might hear us. But if you can wait until morning..." he said in a seductive voice and twirled a lock of Regulus' hair around his finger "… I'll make it worth your while..."

Regulus groaned. "Well, you better come in here the moment the last one has left, then. And you're going to have to live up to that promise." He looked at the American, licking his lips. "What are you going to do to me?"

Remus grinned and leaned in to touch his lips to Regulus' ear, "I'm gonna touch you all over until you're begging to be fucked, and then I'm gonna do exactly that -" he said in a husky voice, "until you can't remember your own name."

Regulus closed his eyes and gulped, feeling shivers spread from his ear down his neck. He almost regretted having asked, because they couldn't do it right now. "Oh..."

Remus had an urge to touch Regulus but knew that if he did that, he wouldn't be able to stop. "I'll come to your room in the morning," he said and gave Regulus' ear a nip before getting to his feet. "Sleep well."

 **o0o0o**

Regulus woke around eight o'clock the next morning, feeling a hand skim over his stomach and hot lips pressed to his throat. "Mm?" he hummed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"They all left," said Remus and sucked on a spot just above Regulus' collarbone. "I've been lying awake the past two hours thinking about you. Imagining you lying in here, perhaps sleeping naked… The sheets caressing your soft skin…"

"Yeah?" said Regulus, tilting his head to give Remus better access to his neck. "Did you touch yourself?"

"No," said Remus and ran the tip of his tongue along Regulus' collarbone. "I wanted to save it all for you. But I'll tell you it was darn hard; lying there thinking about all the things I was gonna do to you."

Incredibly turned on, Regulus pushed Remus away and got out of bed. "I'll just have a shower and brush my teeth. Make myself nice and desirable for you."

Remus sighed and flopped down on the bed. "You always are. You could skip showering for a month and I would still desire you like crazy."

Regulus snorted. "If that's a fantasy of yours, you can forget it. I like taking good care of myself."

Remus rolled onto his stomach and looked up at his boyfriend who was just about to leave the room. "I'm just saying there's nothing you could do that would stop me lusting for you. Hurry up, will you?"

Regulus was gone for twenty long minutes. Remus sat waiting for him on the bed and smiled at the Brit when he got back, trying to look as if he hadn't been too impatient. "Better?"

"Loads," said Regulus and threw himself on his back on the bed, shaking his freshly washed and blow-dried hair out over the pillow. He knew how much Remus loved his hair.

And sure enough – the Southerner immediately dug his fingers into the thick tresses and dipped his head to press his nose to it and inhale deeply. "God, I think I'm getting addicted to that scent," he sighed.

"Are you going to breathe in my hair products all day or are we getting to that point where you start making it worth my while?" asked Regulus, a smile playing on his lips.

"Yeah," smiled Remus and crawled in over Regulus, parting his legs with a knee so he could settle between them. "I'm working on it," he said in a husky voice and kissed the boy's chest, licking a nipple before carefully nipping at it.

They were soon naked and very aroused, and when Remus reached over to get the lube in Regulus' nightstand drawer, Regulus grabbed his wrist. "Remus?"

"Yes?"

"Let's try something new."

"What do you have in mind?" asked Remus curiously.

"Well... for instance... tie me up?"

Remus' eyebrows shot upwards. "Tie you up?" When Regulus nodded, Remus thought about it for a second. He had never considered doing something like that before but if Regulus wanted to try, then Remus guessed he wasn't opposed to it. "Is this something you got experience with?"

Regulus shook his head. "But I've been fantasizing about it. I'd like to try. If you do as well, of course. Otherwise, it's fine."

"No, I'll try," smiled Remus. "Sounds kinda hot, actually."

"I have a necktie in my closet," said Regulus and got up to find it. He handed it to Remus - a classy Armani.

Remus eyed the fancy tie, hoping the knots wouldn't ruin it. He pushed Regulus down onto his back and raised his hands above his head, holding them together, looped the tie around the writs, and then fastened it to the bedpost. "There... doesn't look like you'll be going anywhere," he grinned, admiring his handywork.

Regulus gave an experimental tug at his restraints, biting his lip. "I guess not..."

"Fuck, you look good lying there…" groaned Remus, sitting back on his haunches to admire the boy laid out on the bed, hands skimming appreciatively over the soft skin of chest and stomach, "…all tied up and ready for me."

Regulus drew in a quick breath, feeling his semi-hard cock give a small jerk in excitement. "And what are you going to do about it?" he asked, biting his lower lip enticingly and looking up at Remus through thick lashes.

"Think I'll be taking my sweet time with you, since I pretty much have you at my disposal as long as I like," Remus drawled and dipped his head to trail kisses across Regulus' chest, his hands slowly roaming the entire torso.

"Mmm… feels good," hummed Regulus, lying with his eyes closed, enjoying the wet mouth and warm hands worshipping his body. He let out a gasp and raised his chest when Remus closed his lips around a perked nipple, sucking it into his mouth. The Southerner kept at it as Regulus' breathing quickened and he canted his hips as a hint to the older boy. "Remus… touch me."

"I _am_ touching you," said Remus, lifting his head.

"I mean lower, you twat," said Regulus, raising his hips again for emphasis.

"I don't appreciate that tone, young man," scolded Remus, keeping his hands where they were on Regulus' waist.

"Please. Please go lower."

Remus sat up and let his hands move past Regulus' hips and down his legs, stopping to massage the calves.

"No," complained Regulus, looking down at Remus. "Not there!"

"Here, then?" asked Remus, picking up a foot questioningly.

"No," groaned Regulus – a groan that turned into a high-pitched squeal as Remus started tickling the foot.

The Brit shrieked, writhed, and kicked while Remus held on to the foot with both hands, tickling with his thumbs until he took mercy on the boy. "Sorry, darlin'," he said, dropping the foot and looking up at Regulus' flushed face and rapidly undulating ribcage. "I couldn't resist," he continued, moving up to softly cup a burning cheek. "You just blush so prettily."

"Well, get my face heated up in a different way!" barked Regulus. "Or is tickling me the best you can do? You're evil, you know th-"

Remus effectively silenced Regulus' complaints by dipping his head and swallowing his cock, quickly sucking it back to full hardness. He pulled off for a second (to loud protests) to quickly grab the bottle of lube from the nightstand, then got back to work on Regulus' cock while slipping two fingers inside. He soon had the boy panting and pushing rhythmically back against the digits. From the sounds and the throbbing length in Remus' mouth, he could tell that Regulus was getting close, so he stopped sucking.

"No! Keep going!" exclaimed Regulus, looking frustratedly down at Remus.

Remus pulled off with a wet pop and removed his fingers. "Sorry, darlin', but I'm feeling a bit selfish right now, and since you can't do nothing 'bout it in your position, I think I'll just do as I please." He moved up to lie on Regulus' body, his erection poking into his thigh.

"You going to shag me?" asked Regulus, looking up at Remus with lust-filled eyes.

"Mmm… I love that word. Sounds so filthy when it comes out of your pretty mouth."

"Shag me," repeated the Brit, pouting his lips enticingly.

Remus laughed. "You know over here it's a dance. The shag. The State dance of South Carolina, in fact."

If Regulus hadn't already known, he would have broken down laughing. "Explains why you do it so well."

Smirking, Remus leaned down, his nose inches from Regulus'. "You think so?"

"You know I do, but I think you best start refreshing my memory lest I forget why."

"Right. Open up for me, doll," said Remus, patting Regulus' thigh. When the boy complied, Remus moved in between his legs, slicked himself up and slowly pushed inside while watching Regulus' eyelids flutter shut and his mouth fall open, a drawn-out moan spilling from the lips. "Gorgeous," mumbled Remus and peppered light kisses on heated cheeks and along the softly sculpted jawline while waiting for a sign that Regulus was ready to move on. As Remus was moving from one cheek to another, Regulus reached up to catch his lips in a hot wet kiss. Remus responded, pushing his tongue greedily into Regulus' mouth, pressing his head back into the pillow with the force of it. Heat was building up in him at the intensity of the kiss, and he had to force himself not to plead with Regulus to give him the go-ahead. He couldn't say that out loud, of course, because he was not the one in the position to beg – that was Regulus' role.

As if mindreading, Regulus opened his eyes and breathed, "Please, Remus. Go on – give it to me." As Remus began to move in earnest, Regulus whished for a moment that he could dig his fingers into Remus' back but at the same time feeling the thrill of being completely at Remus' mercy. After a few minutes he looked up into Remus' lust-blown pupils and asked, "What would you do if I resisted?"

"If you resisted?" said Remus and leaned down over Regulus, picking up the pace just a bit. "I would tighten those knots to remind you who's in charge… And then I'd take you harder," he said and gave a deep hard thrust as he dug fingers into Regulus' thigh.

Regulus couldn't help letting out a wanton moan. He hadn't thought he would get this turned on by being tied up. "Yeah?" he said, wriggling and tugging at his restraints. He suddenly got the urge to test Remus, to see how he would respond to Regulus trying to take control. "What are you waiting for? Go faster!" he ordered, moving his hips roughly upwards to spur Remus on.

Remus licked his lips and took a firm hold on Regulus ' hips. "I decide how fast we're going. I'm the one in charge here."

"Oh?" said Regulus and sent Remus a challenging look. "Well, take charge then. Jerk me off! I want to come now."

"I have other plans," said Remus and pulled out. He then flipped Regulus over onto his knees and elbows. He re-entered him before settling with both hands on his hips, holding him in place. This time he sped up and thrust into him harder.

Regulus had to struggle a bit to gain balance and get into a comfortable position. Remus' sudden roughness had taken him by surprise. He couldn't stop himself from moaning out loud, although he wanted to keep playing the disobedience game. "I liked it better on my back," he complained.

Remus suddenly felt bad for being so rough with the younger boy, so he turned him back around. "Sorry, darlin'," he smiled. "I got a bit carried away." He pushed into him again, gently this time. God, it felt good without a condom - everything was more sensitive, more intense. He was glad they had made that trip to the doctor's to get an STD check. "Do you want me to go faster again?"

"I want you to make my wait worthwhile," said Regulus, a little disappointed that Remus had turned him over and dropped the act. They had to decide on a safe-word or something, so Remus could tell if Regulus was being serious.

"Alright," said Remus and set a rough pace, making sure to brush over Regulus' prostate with every thrust.

"Remus," moaned Regulus, automatic tugging at his restraints, wanting to jerk himself off, but he had to rely solely on Remus. "Fuck…please make me come!"

"I got you," gasped Remus and clenched his teeth to stave off his own orgasm, wanting to satisfy Regulus first. He closed a hand around Regulus' erection and jerked quickly in time with his quickening thrusts, Sweat was starting to drip from his forehead, his bangs sticking to his face. He wouldn't be able to hold off for much longer. A few jerks more and Regulus came violently, bucking up against Remus, shouting his name over and over. Relieved, Remus let himself go, reaching climax only seconds later, his mouth falling open and eyes screwed shut. "Ha... oh... oh, God..." he gasped and opened his eyes slowly to look down at Regulus. "That was amazing." He leaned down and gave Regulus a soft kiss on the lips before untying his hands.

Regulus rubbed his wrists, which had gone a bit sore. "Yeah. We should try that again."

"We should," smiled Remus. "I'd never thought about doing something like that – but I gotta admit it was exhilarating having you all at my mercy like that."

 **o0o0o**

"Don't you have lessons today?" Regulus asked when they had showered.

"No, all classes are over. It's exam studying the next few weeks. But I'll have to wait till tonight, 'cause I got work in an hour," said Remus and brushed Regulus' hair out of his eyes to plant a kiss on his forehead.

"You mean at the bookshop?"

"Yes."

"Mind if I come along to see it?"

Remus nodded with a broad smile. "I'd love for you to see where I work."

 **o0o0o**

An hour later Remus and Regulus arrived at the bookshop. An elderly man greeted the boys with a smile and a "Nice to see y'all" before continuing to browse the shelves.

"That's Mr. Smith," explained Remus to Regulus. "He comes in at least once a week to check for new books. A real book devotee."

"Right," said Regulus and started scanning the shop for books. It was a cozy shop filled to the brim with both new and second-hand books. He wondered why he hadn't gone here before, since he loved books and read a lot. Perhaps he had not wanted to be tempted to spend money he couldn't afford to.

"Ah, Remus," called a man from behind the counter, with hair like Beethoven, and waved Remus over. "You brought a friend to work?" he said in a heavy Southern accent.

"Yes," said Remus. "This is Regulus. Regulus - this is Mr. Ollivander, my boss."

"Hello," said Regulus and shook the old man's hand. "I'm just here to see the shop. Not to take up Remus' time."

The man gave a wave of his hand. "Oh, don't you worry 'bout that. I know Remus always does his job to the highest satisfaction, so that's just fine. You're welcome to stay as long as you let him tend to costumers. So, not from around here, I can tell?"

"No, I'm British. From London. Just moved here a few months ago. I'm Sirius' brother. If you know him."

Mr. Ollivander laughed. "Yes, yes, I could tell you're British. Absolutely no doubt about that. But I'm not an expert on all them dialects, so I couldn't tell what part of the country. And yes, I know Sirius. Nice fellah, like all Remus' friends."

"Do you get a discount?" Regulus asked Remus a bit later.

"Yes, I do," smiled Remus and stepped close to Regulus, putting some books back in place. "See anything you like?"

"Well... I suppose I don't have to buy books as long as I haven't read all yours yet," said Regulus. "And there's the library. It's just in case I see something I can't live without." It was still a strange feeling - almost unreal - to not be able to just buy whatever he liked. He had never thought he would come in a situation where he had to worry about money at all, so he had never stopped to consider what life was like for the poor or middle class.

Since Regulus had nowhere else to be, he ended up staying in the bookshop during Remus' entire shift, mostly reading in the back room. Mr. Ollivander had been so nice as to let him read whatever he liked, as long as he was careful not to bend the pages.

At one point Mr. Ollivander left to run some errands, leaving Remus to look after the store. As soon as there were no costumers Regulus pulled Remus behind a set of shelves where they were not visible from the street. He cradled Remus' face between his hands and started kissing him.

"Regulus," said Remus after a moment, pushing the boy a bit back. "We can't… Costumers…"

"The bell will ring, yeah? And no one can see us from the street," said Regulus and resumed his activity.

"Reg –" Remus broke the kiss again. "Are you crazy? We can't have sex here!"

Regulus looked a little offended. "That wasn't my plan! I just wanted a good snog. Can't I snog my own boyfriend without having a dirty agenda?"

"Yes, of course! Of course you can," smiled Remus. He had been used to Regulus only getting intimate when he wanted sex, but things had changed since they had become a couple. Regulus had changed. A lot, in fact. He had become very affectionate, eager to cuddle and kiss, also when sex was not involved. Something he had refused earlier. Remus wasn't sure why, but he wasn't complaining. He liked this new Regulus even better than the old one.

 **o0o0o**

On the way back from Remus' shift they stopped at Food Lion. "Hey, let's go in. There's a few things missing in the fridge," said Regulus.

The store manager nodded at them as he looked up from his newspaper and Remus waved and smiled. They split up for a moment, Remus heading for the dairy products and Regulus for the canned goods. As Regulus reached for a can of pinto beans he heard a dreaded voice behind him.

"Hey, Regulus!" Nancy came rushing over to him, fluttering her eyelashes. "Long time no see!"

Regulus groaned. "Well... I'm not here every day, obviously." He looked up and down the aisle, hoping to see Remus, but no luck. And now Nancy was moving in on him.

"You should come here more often," she smiled. "Gives me something nice to look at." She rested her elbow on a shelf and smiled fondly, studying him.

"Well... I better get going. I'm in a hurry."

"What's your hurry?" she said and took his hand. "We could go out for coffee or something? I get off work in ten minutes."

"Excuse me," sounded a voice and they both looked around, seeing a rather annoyed-looking Remus walking towards them.

"No, I don't want to go out with you!" said Regulus, relieved to see Remus.

"Just give it up, Regulus. You know I ain't gonna stop till you go on at least one date with me."

"I'm gay," said Regulus.

She looked at him and then laughed. "Nice try. The oldest trick in the book."

"It's true," said Remus and took Regulus' hand to pull him away from her. "He's with me."

She blinked and then laughed again. "I don't believe you. Trying to get your friend to cover for you - that's an old trick too."

Regulus gritted his teeth and then made a decision. He would never have thought he would kiss someone in public, but drastic measures were obviously needed to convince this girl, so he grabbed Remus' face and kissed him aggressively.

Remus' eyes widened but then closed as he wrapped his arms around Regulus' waist and kissed him back possessively, wanting to show that this was indeed his boyfriend.

After a moment Regulus let go and looked at Nancy, who stood gawking at the two. "Believe me now?"

She looked at him, still with her mouth hanging open. "Oh… Well, that sucks."

Nancy was about to say something else, but Remus quickly dragged Regulus with him to the check-out where they paid for their things before quickly leaving the shop.

" _Finally_ , she got the message," Regulus said. "I don't know why the hell she was so bent on going out with me. It's not as if I was ever nice to her."

"Same reason everyone else throw themselves at you: because you're so handsome," Remus said.

Regulus stopped and turned to look at Remus. "Is that why _you_ fell for me?"

"What? No! I like you for you. S-sure I was also attracted to your looks but that wasn't the main reason. You're smart and fascinating, and you drive me crazy in the bedroom." Remus couldn't help feeling a little guilty, because he wasn't exactly telling the truth. He _had_ fallen for him because of his looks. Had been obsessed with it, to be honest. But now it was more. Every day he discovered something new about Regulus that he loved.

"Really? I mean, I knew I was good in bed," Regulus grinned. "I'm not always so nice, though," he continued, the smile disappearing. "Not like you."

Remus stepped closer to him. "I know you aren't always nice, but when you are, then you're very sweet. And then it really means something. I've also learned that your bark is worse than your bite and that you have a dry sense of humor."

Regulus smiled a little, then licked his lips and looked into Remus' eyes. "What about when the others are off to bed, we have a little fun in the shower, yeah? See if I'm also amazing in the bathroom?"

Remus smiled. "I'd like to figure that out as well." He reached out a hand and brushed a strand of hair behind Regulus' ear. "If we walk any slower, they might have gone to bed already when we get home."

 **o0o0o**

After the shower Regulus checked his e-mail account before slipping under the covers with Remus. He froze when he saw three new mails from Barty. He had actually forgotten about the mail the other day.

 _Regulus... I'm quite sad that you have not answered my e-mail. I know you got it. Are you really that upset with me? I couldn't help it. I panicked. I'm so, so sorry and I've been feeling so guilty ever since. But I've pulled myself together now – I've come out and everything. My family has been surprisingly supportive. I'm sorry that yours wasn't. Please give me a chance to show you how sorry I am. I will never let you down again, I promise. I can come and get you if you like and we can fly back to London together._

 _Think about it._

 _Love, Barty_

Regulus groaned. In the other two mails Barty went on along the same lines. Was he going to get it if Regulus ignored these as well? Perhaps not, but right now Regulus wasn't going to do anything about it. He was tired and he just wanted get under the sheets and cuddle up to Remus.


	14. People Are so Rude

**Chapter 14 – People Are so Rude**

The next day Regulus opened his inbox to find 5 new e-mails from Barty, each one sounding more urgent than the previous. He sighed and started to type a reply, since ignoring him obviously wasn't working.

 _Barty, do you not recognize a hint when you see it? I got all your mails, but you and I are over. I don't hold a grudge, but I'm not interested in seeing or talking to you ever again. I live in the States now, and I'm happy here. I'm not going back to the UK._

 _Have a good life,_

 _R. A. B._

It took only 5 minutes for a reply to pop up from Barty.

 _Dear Regulus_

 _I said I was sorry. Do you really want to leave your life with me behind and live with your brother whom you have not seen for five years? Come on... come back to me and we can live together like we used to dream of. I miss you so much it hurts. Don't tell me you don't miss me too. You must be lonely._

 _My offer to come and get you still stands. I love you._

 _Barty_

Regulus typed a short reply:

 _I did miss you at first – I was bloody miserable, but I've moved on, Barty. I have no feelings for you anymore. I'm happy here and not lonely. I'm not coming home. Stop writing me._

 _R. A. B._

There was no reply after that.

 **o0o0o**

Coming home at five p.m., Remus slumped down on the couch, closing his eyes and sighing. He had had a rather exhausting day, spending eight hours at the library studying for his contemporary Am lit exam. James was off playing football, Sirius at work, and Peter at a friend's house.

"You look exhausted," said Regulus and crawled into Remus' lap, giving him a soft lingering kiss.

Remus opened his eyes and looked into Regulus deep gray pools. He placed his hands on his hips and gave them a light squeeze. "I'll be alright. Just spent all days with my nose in some very dry books."

"Too bad you're tired..." said Regulus and ran his fingers slowly through Remus' hair. "I had hoped you would come home ready to give me a good working over..."

"Who said I was too tired for _that?_ " smiled Remus, loving the feeling of Regulus' fingers in his hair. "I'm never too tired for you and you know I can't refuse you anything."

"Let's hurry, then," said Regulus and climbed off Remus' lap. "Before Sirius comes home."

 **o0o0o**

Afterwards, lying in bed, legs tangled, Remus asked, "When are you ready to tell the others about us so we don't need to sneak around? I'd like to sleep next to you every night without having to fear anyone catching us. Actually, I'm having trouble sleeping without you. It's torture thinking about you lying just down the hall."

Regulus considered it for a moment. "Alright... Although I still don't want to have sex when they can hear it. Some things are private."

"Of course," beamed Remus. "I understand. I'm not keen on that either." Mostly because he knew Sirius would tease him about doing his brother and he wouldn't hear the end of it.

"You want to tell them?" asked Regulus. "Tonight, when they're all here. Get it over with."

 **o0o0o**

Later that evening when all were home Remus went over to turn off the TV, to Peter and James' loud protests.

"I have something important to tell you."

"You're screwing Regulus," said James.

Remus looked stunned. "Wh… how did you know?"

" _What?_ " said Sirius, looking at Regulus and then Remus. "You're shagging my brother?" Then he turned to James. "And you knew _without telling me?_ "

James laughed. "I didn't, not until now! It was just a guess. But Remus has been eye-fucking him since the day he arrived, so it wasn't a stretch, was it?"

"Well, Regulus _has_ been in a much better mood lately, so I reckon you're doing a good job, Remus," Peter laughed.

"Shut it!" said Regulus, feeling heat rise in his cheeks. He had known they would tease them, which was the main reason he had been reluctant to tell.

"So you've been sneaking around? Hey, Remus, you should have told me. It's my baby brother, after all."

"He doesn't need your permission to date me," snapped Regulus, blushing even more. "I'm an adult!"

"Well, I guess I can rest assured that Remus will treat you well. But no shagging when I'm home. I don't wanna listing to you lot getting it on."

" _Excuse_ me?" Regulus scoffed. "You of all people have no right to tell others not to have sex while others can hear it! How many times have you come home with some bird and made her scream like you were torturing her?"

"That's different. You're my _baby_ brother," said Sirius and crossed his arms. "But thank you for noticing that I make my birds scream. Means I'm doing a good job."

"I think you're paying them to do it," mumbled Regulus. "Just to impress us."

Sirius snorted. Then he looked at Remus and a smile curled on his lips. "So is he any good, Remus?" he grinned cheekily.

Remus got rather flustered. "Uhm... that's none of your business, Sirius."

"You pervert!" said Regulus. "Who wants to know how good their brother is?"

"Just teasing Remus. He's hilarious when he gets embarrassed," laughed Sirius and got up from his seat. "I'm getting a Coke. Anyone want one?"

 **o0o0o**

To Regulus' dismay he found a new e-mail in his inbox a few days later. Having heard nothing from Barty for days, he had thought he had given up.

 _You can't be serious about wanting to stay in the US! Come back to me and we can sort things. I'll come visit you and we can talk it all out. All right?_

 _Love, Barty_

 _No! Not all right! I have a new life and I don't want you in it! How more blatantly can I write it? Don't you dare come over here - and STOP WRITING ME!_

 _I'll come see you. We need to talk. Things ended badly, and I can't stop thinking about it. And I can't stop thinking about you, love. I need to see you._

 _Barty_

 _Don't come! What do you need to talk about so badly? We can do it online if it's that bloody important._

 _No, I need to see you. It's much easier and I miss your pretty face. Please let me come see you, Reg. Maybe things will change if we just talk things through. I love you so much you don't even know._

 _Barty_

 _Things won't change! I don't want to see you. I don't love you and besides, I have a new boyfriend, and it's getting serious, so let's just cut ties here, Barty. Go find yourself someone else. I'm sure it won't be too difficult for you. You're a handsome bloke._

There were no more e-mails after that.

 **o0o0o**

Coming home a few days later, James had brought a piece of paper with an ad for a job. "Here," he said, handing it to Regulus. "I tore it off the note board at the cafeteria. Maybe you should apply."

Regulus studied the ad. _Easy money_ , it said. _The more you sell, the more you make_. A phone salesman. He snorted. If there was something he hated it was people calling at the most inconvenient time trying to sell him something completely useless. But a job was a job, and Regulus' bank account was dwindling. It couldn't hurt trying.

 **o0o0o**

Being the supportive boyfriend that he was, Remus went with Regulus to the job interview.

"Hey, y'all," a woman greeted them at the front desk. "How may I help you?"

"The job," said Regulus and smacked the ad James had brought him down on the desk.

The woman looked a little taken aback by his attitude. "I see... Um… have you any experience with telemarketing?"

"I have experience with people calling me to sell things. It's a bloody drag, but I suppose I can give it a try."

"Regulus, you need to be polite," Remus said as they followed the woman down to the call center. "You won't get a job if you're so rude."

"I was just being truthful. It _is_ bloody annoying when salesmen call."

"Yes, but if you want a job as a salesman that's not something you wanna say," sighed Remus.

"Are you here to apply as well?" the woman asked, smiling at Remus.

"No, ma'am, I'm just here for moral support."

The woman lead the way to an unoccupied desk. "Take a seat and let's give it a go, shall we?"

Regulus sat down and put on the headphones handed to him. "So, what do I have to sell?"

"Razor blades," said the woman and handed him a list with product information and prices. "And here's what you gotta to say when you call. And remember to say where you're calling from and greet them properly." She gave him further instructions on what to say and how to go about the conversation. Then she gave him a list of phone numbers and sat down to listen in on Regulus' calls.

Regulus called the first number on the list. "Hello, sir? I'm calling from Hudson and Jones. I have a great offer for you on the new Gentle Touch shaver. It comes in -"

"No, thank you," said the man at the other end of the line.

"Why? Don't you shave?"

"Yeah, I shave, but I got all the equipment I need," said the man. "But thanks for the offer."

"Try to think ahead. Sometime in the near future you're going to run out of cartridges," said Regulus. "Then you'll say 'What a bloody twat I am to not have bought some from that bloke on the phone. Now I have to turn up for work with stubbles, and –"

The sales woman snatched away the headset from Regulus and apologized to the man before hanging up. "You can't say words like that to the customers," she said and shook her head. "You got spirit, I'll give you that, but you need to work on your language. "

"So I can't say twat?" asked Regulus. "He probably doesn't even know what twat means."

"I'm sure he could guess that it isn't a nice word. You need to be polite. And if people say 'no' more than twice then you say 'I'm sorry to have disturbed you' and 'have a nice day' and you hang up."

Regulus called the next number and presented the same offer as before.

"Oh, that sounds interesting," said the woman. "My husband uses up cartridges so fast I feel like I'm buying new constantly, and they're so _expensive,_ aren't they?"

"Brilliant," said Regulus. "We have a great price for large bulks. 20% discount on 15 and 30% on 30."

Two minutes later Regulus hung up the receiver, having just sold his first 30 cartridges. "Easy as pie," he said, pleased with himself.

"Very nice job," said the sales woman. "See that wasn't so hard, was it? Just remember that if they say no then ask again and tell them about our special offers. If they say no again ask them if they are sure. If they say no a third time then say – okay, have a nice day."

"Alright. I can handle myself now. I don't need you breathing down my neck."

Remus said goodbye and headed to the library to do some studying and the lady let Regulus alone for a while.

The next few calls were uneventful. One declined politely and could not be persuaded and one said yes. Then there were a few calls where the phone was hung up immediately. That irritated Regulus. "They're hanging up on me, those bloody wankers," he grumbled to the young man sitting at the next table.

"Some of them do that," he said with a smile on his lips. "Hey. I'm Benji. You're new, right? I've only been here a week myself and I've already gotten used to them hanging up on me. And the abuse some of them throw at me."

"Yeah... I'm Regulus. Rotten job. I wouldn't be here unless I was desperate. But I need money for college, you know."

"Yeah, me to. Started last year. My parents are paying my tuition, but rent doesn't pay itself, you know, and I need food on the table."

The next costumer already sounded grumpy when he picked up the phone, before Regulus had even introduced himself. "Good day, sir. I'm calling from Hudson and Jones -" he started.

"What do you want?" said the man.

"I have a brilliant offer on the new Gentle Touch shaver," said Regulus, forcing himself to keep a friendly tone. "The shaver itself is only 12 dollars plus tax, and the cartridges -"

"I don't need no God damn shaver," spat the man. "What makes you think you can just call me here in the middle of the day and offer me God damn shavers?"

"Because it's my job!" snapped Regulus. "And I'm being nice and giving you a great offer! Why don't you show some respect, you old fart?"

Benji dropped his pen and stared at Regulus in disbelief.

The manager rushed over to Regulus' table and snatched the headset from him, excusing his behavior and saying goodbye. "What the hell were you thinking?" he roared. "We don't talk to customers like that!"

"He was even ruder to me!" protested Regulus. "He shouldn't dish it out if he can't take getting some back!"

"I don't care how rude he was to you. Your job is to be nice to the costumers, because we have a reputation to uphold. So you just suck it up and apologize!"

"Alright, alright! Give me a break, will you?" said Regulus, rolling his eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, boy," he said and pointed at Regulus.

"Sorry," mumbled Regulus, realizing that he might be about to lose his job. "Can I go back to work now? I won't be rude."

"Fine," nodded the manager. "But you're walking a very thin line, so I suggest that you stick to the script."

"That was close," said Benji after the manager had left. "He's a real asshole sometimes but you better do as he says."

"Uptight," mumbled Regulus.

Benji nodded. "But you should do okay here as long as you keep yourself in check. Might even make a decent salary. You're pretty good at persuading people."

 **o0o0o**

Regulus made it through the day, barely keeping his temper in check. He went home in a rather bad mood, finding the others plus Lily in the living room, just started on dinner.

"You okay?" Remus asked.

Regulus pulled out a chair to sit down. "I didn't know there were so many obnoxious people out there."

"Working is hard, Reggie," said Sirius, "but it won't kill you. If the rest of us can do it, then so can you."

"How was your first day?" smiled Lily, putting a plate down in front of Regulus.

"Horrible. People are so rude. It's just my job and they nearly bite my head off!"

"I seem to remember hearing you on the phone with a salesman once, telling him very rudely where to stick his merchandise," commented James.

"That's... different. He was pushy and called at a really bad time," said Regulus, irritated with James for making a very good point. But in fact, the day had made him think about his own behavior in general. He was probably going to try to be a bit more considerate towards salesmen and perhaps even people in general in the future, but he was not about to admit that to James, who had no business telling him what to do.

"How is that different?" asked Sirius pointing at Regulus with his fork. "How the tables have turned, little brother. Think about it next time you go to work, yeah?"

 **o0o0o**

After dinner Regulus opened his inbox to find a new e-mail from Barty.

 _A new boyfriend? What does he have that I don't? I was your first love – your one true love – so why won't you give me a second chance? What we had was special._

 _What we had was alright, but that was then. I'm in a more mature relationship now and out in the open. Forget it, Barty. How many times do I have to tell you?_

 _You can be out in the open with me as well. I told you, I've come out. You're the only one I want. The only one I'll EVER want. Just give me a chance, Reg. I can make you happier than the one you're seeing now._

 _No, you can't. And you haven't even met him, so how would you know? He's the one_ I _want, Barty, and I'm not coming back to you._

 _Besides, how do you know I'm the only one for you? Did you try anyone else? I suggest that you do. There's plenty of fish in the sea. Go to a gay club or something. I hear they are good places to meet gay people._

 _Please, Regulus! You don't understand – I'm in misery here. I can't live without you! I long to touch you again and to kiss you. How can you say that you're not the one for me when you're all I can think about every second of every day? I only want you. If I can't, I might as well be dead._

 _Stop with the drama. Move on, Barty. Life blows sometimes, but you will get over me. I'm asking you nicely once again - get on with your life and stop writing me._

 _I will not stop writing you until you agree to let me at least come and see you. I'm not giving up on you, Reg._

 _Obviously being nice doesn't get through to you. The answer is NO. LEAVE ME ALONE!_

 _This is the last mail you'll get from me. Save your time and don't write any more. I'm going to block you. Good bye, Barty._

 _Don't block me! Please, Regulus! I love you! I LOVE you! Why can't you see that?_

Remus came into the room just in time to see Regulus slamming his laptop shut." Um… we were fixin' to go out for ice cream and I wanted to ask if you wanna come. It's a lovely night out." He sent him a smile and leaned against the door frame

"Yeah, alright," said Regulus. It would be good to get out. Get his mind off Barty.

Remus smiled and stepped up to Regulus. "I'm sorry you had a bad day at work but I'll give you a nice back rub before bedtime if you want, and shower you with kisses... help you get your mind off it." He tilted his head and leaned in to kiss Regulus softly on the lips.

"Yeah," said Regulus, hugging Remus. There was a time his heart was aching to get Barty back, so badly that he thought his chest might crack, but that was over now. He didn't regret one second turning Barty away and choosing Remus instead.

Remus rested his chin on Regulus' hair, letting out a sigh. He could sense that something was troubling his boyfriend, but he didn't want to pry. Regulus would tell him about it if he wanted him to know. "Would be nice to have a few days to ourselves, huh?" he smiled and kissed the top of his head. "Maybe go to the beach and just relax by the water."

"Yeah," sighed Regulus. "But where would we go? We have no money."

"We might could borrow Jamie's parents' beach house for a weekend."

Regulus' head popped up. "Really? You think they'd let us?"

"I'm sure they will, if no one's using it. Jamie's parents are great."

"That would be brilliant! See if you can sort it, yeah?"

"I'll ask Jamie about it tomorrow."

 **o0o0o**

Work did not pan out for Regulus the next day. He controlled himself for the first part of the shift but after lunch he lost his temper with an unpleasant costumer.

"Regulus!" The manager shouted. "That was the final straw! Pack your things! You're fired!"

Benji sent Regulus a sympathetic look and sank into his chair as if afraid it was his turn next.

" _What_ _?_ You expect me to swallow every piece of shite thrown at me? I do have dignity, you know!"

"As I said before," said the manager. "Your job is to smile and be polite no matter what. You do _not_ lose your temper with a customer!"

"They can't see me smile through the phone, can they? Come on, mate - I've sold pretty well, haven't I?"

"You have also insulted customers. Twice! It's bad publicity. Now get outta here!"

"Well, this job bloody blows, anyway! I don't know why the hell I even bothered trying!"

 **o0o0o**

Regulus slammed the front door and kicked off his shoes while grumbling to himself.

"What's with the door-slamming?" asked Sirius, sticking his head out from the kitchen. "You're bringing the house down. Bad day at work?"

Regulus trudged into the kitchen, steering straight for the kettle so he could boil some water. He needed a strong cup of tea. "Got fired," he mumbled. "That cock sucking wanker couldn't take the tone. Just because I didn't say 'thank you for insulting me' to a rude costumer."

"What? You got fired again? How hard can it be to keep a job for more than two flaming days?"

"Come on Sirius," said Remus. "It ain't exactly an easy job, especially if you got a temper. I'm pretty sure it would be a challenge for you as well."

"How can you get fired from two jobs in one month?" asked Sirius, ignoring Remus' comment.

"Telemarketing sucks, anyway," said Regulus, sitting down with a steaming cup. "Rotten job. I wasn't put on earth to do that kind of work."

"Oh? And what kind of work where you put on earth to do, then?"

"Something dignifying. I don't want to serve people or kiss their boots. I want to be respected."

"Well, tell me when you find such a job when you don't have an education," said Sirius and went over to grab his jacket. "Now if you will excuse me, I have to go degrade myself at work!"


	15. I Wasn't Done Swimming

**A/N:** So sorry about the delay. I've been down with the flu all Christmas (so that sucked). Should be back on track now.

We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

* * *

 **Chapter 15 - I Wasn't Done Swimming**

They arrived at James' parents' beach house around noon the following Friday. The house sat literally a stone's throw from the water, elevated on stilts some 10 feet off the ground to protect from flooding, which was common due to hurricanes. The beach was still littered with natural debris from last fall's hurricane (Matthew), as Remus explained. "Yeah, that was a bad one…" he nodded to himself. "They haven't finished cleaning up yet, as you see."

Regulus stared at a giant uprooted pine tree reaching all the way across the beach into the water, and at countless slim-trunked palmettos strewn across the beach as if a giant had been playing pick-up-sticks with them. He couldn't decide if it was sad or beautiful or both.

"Well, no hurricane today, thank goodness," smiled Remus, watching the light breeze toy with a wisp of his boyfriend's long hair.

Inside, Regulus pulled the string to the ceiling fan in the ocean-view lounge and sighed contentedly as the air cooled his sweaty face. It was a very hot day.

Remus closed the door behind them and went over to the window to enjoy the view. "I think we're gonna have ourselves a very nice weekend here."

Regulus hummed affirmatively, still standing with his face turned upwards, eyes shut. "We should go for a swim to cool off."

"We should," said Remus and walked over to hug Regulus from behind, nuzzling into his neck. "Mm... Let's do it right away."

 **o0o0o**

Remus dived under the water and popped up behind Regulus, wrapping his arms around him. "I think I caught myself something nice."

"Oh, yeah? You think I'm that easy?"

"Never said you were easy," smiled Remus and nipped at his ear. "I was just lucky to catch you before you got away from me."

"Sure about that? Maybe you should tie me up again to make sure I don't escape," said Regulus, tilting his head to expose his neck.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" purred Remus and mouthed at Regulus' neck.

"Of course I wouldn't like it," said Regulus, pressing his body back against the American. "I would resist with every fiber of my being."

Remus suppressed a groan and let his hands roam Regulus' stomach. "Mm... so I should drag you back to the house and tie you to the bed? Have my way with you?" He leaned in and licked a stripe along the shell of Regulus' ear. "Is that what you're saying?"

"I'm not saying that at all," gasped Regulus, feeling a chill run down his neck. "There wouldn't be much force in it if I were ordering you, would there?"

"I reckon not," smiled Remus and gave his ear another lick. "But tell me the thought of it isn't turning you on."

"Not in the slightest."

Remus moved a hand down to cup the other boy through his trunks. "Your pretty little mouth is lying but your body ain't."

"I was actually rock hard when you came up behind me, but now I'm losing it because of all your talk."

"Right," chuckled Remus. "I think I'll go ahead anyway."

"Well, you're going to have your work cut out for you, then, because I'm not going easily."

"Oh yeah?" said Remus and with a sudden speed he spun Regulus around and swung him up over his shoulders in a fireman's carry; then started walking up towards the house.

Very surprised at Remus' action, Regulus didn't react until they were out of the water and moving across the sand. Remus was certainly stronger than he looked. "Remus! Remus, you have some nerve carrying me off like that! I wasn't done swimming!" shrieked Regulus, slapping the back of Remus' thighs in protest.

"You have the whole weekend to swim. I've been waiting for this for days," said Remus. He opened the door to the house and carried Regulus upstairs to the bathroom. "Need to clean all the salt and sand off that beautiful body," he said and put Regulus down inside the shower stall, stepping in after him. He placed each of Regulus' hands on the walls of either side of the shower stall and ordered him to stay like that while Remus cleaned him up.

Regulus stared into Remus' eyes, extremely turned on. In real life Regulus despised anyone trying to control him, but this was a game, and for some reason it aroused him to no end. Remus was extremely sexy when playing bossy.

After quickly drying them both, Remus guided Regulus to the bedroom. "Hm..." he hummed, holding onto the Brit's hands as he looked around for something to tie them with. Then he spotted a bathrobe and took the belt from the robe. He pushed Regulus down onto his back and tied his hands to the headboard.

"Remus," whined Regulus, feigning trying to get away. "What have I done to deserve this?"

"You teased me," said Remus, letting a hand run appreciatively down the other boy's body.

"Is that a crime?" asked Regulus, pouting his lips and looking up at Remus with large innocent eyes.

"It shows disrespect, and we can't have that, so I think you need to be taught a lesson," said Remus with a smirk and moved down Regulus' body, letting his tongue trail along the skin until he reached his hip bone.

Regulus let out a gasp and raised his pelvis toward Remus. He could feel himself growing hard rapidly. "And what lesson might that be?"

"You'll see," said Remus and put two fingers into his own mouth to cover them with saliva. He then reached down between Regulus' legs and let one finger enter him while he licked along the side of his erection.

Regulus cursed at the unexpected intrusion, although it wasn't unwelcome.

"What have I told you about such language?" chided Remus, lifting his head to send Regulus a stern look.

"Th-that it's bad and not to use it."

"That's right. I'll let it slip this one time, but you better watch your mouth from now on."

Remus' tongue kept teasing him, not really moving on with business. Regulus wanted to feel his whole mouth. He raised his hips and made a keening sound in order to get Remus to take the hint, although he was pretty sure he already knew exactly what he wanted him to do. "Remus..." he said and pulled at his restraints, having the urge to reach down and shove Remus' head properly onto his cock. "Remus!" he whined and quickly added, " _Please!_ "

Remus looked up at him with a smirk on his face. "You sound a little needy, darlin'" he teased. "But alright, I won't torment you any longer." He took a proper hold on the erection and let it slide into his mouth, tongue caressing the side of the shaft as he took it in.

"R-Remus," stammered Regulus a little later. "If you have other things planned, you might want to get on with it. Unless you want to give me time to recover."

Remus considered it for a moment as he slowed down, then decided to go through with this. They had plenty of time. He picked up the pace again and sucked hard, using his tongue the best he could and working his fingers inside him. From the sound of Regulus' breathing, he could tell he was very close.

Regulus let himself go, raising his hips one last time and came with a shout, not worrying about anybody hearing him, since there were no neighbors close by.

Remus let go of him and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He studied the panting boy below him. "Mm... I should probably let you loose but I'm nowhere near done yet, so I think I'll let you stay this way for a while longer."

Regulus bit his lip and looked up at Remus. He was about to ask him to at least untie one hand so he could jerk Remus off, but then Remus started doing it himself. Regulus groaned. It was incredibly hot watching him touching himself like that.

Remus moaned in pleasure, feeling the blood run faster around his body. He watched Regulus with lidded eyes, satisfied with how intensely he was staring at what he was doing.

"Come on my stomach," said Regulus as he watched Remus getting close. "Please," he added, remembering that he was not in a position to make any demands.

Remus inched closer on his knees, placing a hand on the headboard to steady himself, and worked his other hand at a furious pace until he came splashing onto Regulus' stomach. He leaned down to kiss Regulus, letting his tongue run across his bottom lip before entering his mouth.

"That was bloody hot," said Regulus when Remus pulled back. He looked up at him, licking his lips. "So - what are you going to do with me now?"

Remus smiled lewdly, feeling the blood starting to rush again just by looking at Regulus. "Oh, I don't know. Turn you over and have my way with you, maybe?" He leaned in close to his ear. "Fuck you till you can't see straight."

"Oh, God," whispered Regulus, feeling goosebumps rise on his neck. "I fail to see how that's supposed to be a punishment..."

"The punishment is that you won't be able to do a thing. Not touch me nor yourself. All you can do is hope I'll take mercy on you in the end and give you what you want."

Regulus closed his eyes for a moment, feeling how much Remus' words excited him and aching to have his hyper-sensitive body touched. He stretched and made a sexy sound, hoping to make Remus find him too irresistible.

Remus smiled and kissed Regulus' neck, letting a hand travel down his body. "So beautiful. My private little boy toy," he said, nipping at his neck. His hands reached Regulus' hips and he took a firm hold on them. He pulled away from his neck and then flipped Regulus' over so that he was on his stomach.

Regulus let out a yelp in surprise and looked over his shoulder at Remus. "In a hurry, I see?"

"Mm... can't wait to feel you," Remus said, moving in behind Regulus.

"You can't possibly be ready again! It's just been a few minutes. How can you be so fast?"

"What can I say… You drive me crazy," said Remus. Actually he wasn't quite ready yet, but Regulus didn't need to know that. "But we might should get something better than spit. Don't wanna wear you down, doll," he said, leaving Regulus for a minute to fetch a bottle of lube from his backpack by the wall.

Regulus moaned as he felt two slippery fingers slide into him. "I turn you on that much, do I? Can't control yourself around me, is that it? Get a stiffy every time you see me?"

"You're one to talk," said Remus and started pumping his fingers slowly. "Strolling around showing off your figure, tossing your hair and licking your lips whenever I'm in the room. Sending me filthy looks and touching yourself subtly. Don't tell me you don't want me then?"

"I didn't say that," said Regulus, arching his back, hoping that Remus would touch more of his body. "Of course I want you. Because I know you're up for the job of keeping me satisfied. Or am I wrong?"

"You're not wrong at all," Remus said and slid a hand down the curve of Regulus' spine before slapping a buttock.

"Then get on with it! I'm dying here. I thought you said you were ready. Or was that just bragging?"

"I was just making sure you were good and ready for me," Remus said and pulled out his fingers. He then took a hold of his now hard erection and pushed in in one fluid motion, grabbing a hold on Regulus' hips and starting a steady rhythm, first slow but then faster.

Regulus took a hold of the slats of the headboard, helping him balance on his elbows, enjoying Remus' hands running over his back and bottom. Soon his need for attention on his cock was starting to slowly drive him mad. Desperate for friction but not yet desperate enough to beg Remus to jerk him off he lowered himself to his stomach, trying to get himself off by rutting against the mattress.

"Oh, no you don't," said Remus and pulled Regulus back up by the hips. "I decide what happens with your cock. It belongs to me."

Regulus whined in protest.

"Want me to jerk you off? Is that it?"

Regulus was not about to beg, but his need was driving him crazy and Remus was holding onto his hips for leverage, raising them off the mattress, making it difficult for Regulus to rub against it. "No, I'm fine, he lied, hoping that Remus didn't see through him as just being too stubborn to beg.

"Well, alright," said Remus, digging his fingers into Regulus' hips to. He wanted him to beg and he was going to make that happen.

Regulus keened in frustration, realizing exactly what Remus was doing. "Remus!" he said in a demanding tone. "Let me… Wank me off!"

"That tone gets you nowhere," scolded Remus. "Say 'thank you', Regulus."

"Thank you, Regulus."

"None of that cheek. Say 'thank you'. Remus initiated a series of short deep pounds, angling himself so that he hit Regulus' sweet spot every time. 'Thank you for taking so good care of me, Remus'. 'Thank you for fucking me into oblivion', 'Thank you for –"

"Thank you, Remus! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" babbled Regulus, now nearly sobbing with need. "Please! Just…"

"That's better," smiled Remus and reached around to grab a hold of Regulus' erection and started jerking him off while thrusting into him.

"Yes," moaned Regulus in relief and snapped his hips in time with Remus' thrusts. "Remus! Remus! More! Harder! Please!"

Remus picked up the pace a notch, feeling the sweat starting to soak his bangs. "Re... Regulus!" He draped himself over the younger boy's back. "God, you feel so good, darlin'. Gonna make you come real good." He could feel Regulus trembling and hear his moans rising in pitch. "Come for me, Regulus, be a good boy and come for me."

And Regulus complied, moaning Remus' name on repeat while Remus fucked him right through his orgasm.

Remus followed seconds later, holding onto the bed frame so he didn't collapse onto Regulus. Panting and out of breath, he pulled out and laid down beside the other boy, feeling completely drained of energy but very satisfied. Realizing Regulus was still tied up, he reached over and removed the restraints so he could get comfortable.

Regulus rubbed his wrists. "You're evil," he pouted. "Treating me like I'm some sort of sex toy."

"You love it," smiled Remus and took Regulus' hand and kissed his wrist where the bounds had been. "I've never heard you use that safe-word."


	16. They Must Be Making a Special Appearance

**Chapter 16 – They Must Be Making a Special Appearance for Us**

They rested for a bit before taking a shower and then lying down on the sun deck outside. "Mind rubbing some sunscreen on me?" asked Regulus.

Remus took out the bottle and squeezed a generous amount into his hand, then proceeded to rub it onto Regulus' shoulders and back. "Want me to do the front too or can you handle that yourself?" he asked and kissed his neck.

"Of course, I want you to do the front too." Regulus turned to look Remus in the eye. "And make sure to rub it in properly."

"Alright, come 'ere, then," said Remus, clapping his lap. Regulus got up there, sitting with his back turned. Remus put some more lotion on his hands and rubbed them together before he pulled Regulus' back to his chest and started applying the lotion onto his front.

"Mm..." hummed Regulus, tilting his head back to rest on Remus' shoulder. "Feels so good..." he said in a highly sexualized tone, "... cold lotion on my hot skin..."

Remus hummed and let his hands travel further down to Regulus' stomach. "You _do_ feel incredibly hot. A good thing we're smearing this lotion on you so you don't get burns... but I think you need some more," he said and took some more lotion on his hands and started rubbing in onto Regulus' stomach, fingers dipping under the waistband of his trunks.

"Mm," hummed Regulus, eyes closed. "I don't need any down there. Trunks protect from the sun, see?"

"I know," smiled Remus and let a hand slide across the fabric of the trunks. "But I figured maybe you could use some attention to that area anyway."

"Why? I just had plenty of that on your bed." Regulus wriggled a bit in Remus' arms, making sure to rub against his crotch, which he could feel going hard against his backside.

Remus gulped and closed his eyes, getting aroused already again. No matter how hard he fought it he could never resist Regulus. All it took were a few words in a sexy tone and a subtle touch. "Mm... I reckon I should keep my hands up here, then," he said and brushed his hand slowly over Regulus' crotch and back onto his stomach.

"Yeah... better do that," said Regulus, ignoring the touch he knew was not a coincidence. But he was going to win this one. He had given in earlier, begging shamelessly. Now it was Remus' turn.

"Mm..." Remus bit his lip and felt his cheeks heat up. He tried to adjust himself a little in his seat but the more he moved, the more Regulus pressed against him and it made him almost lose it.

Regulus swung a leg over and turned in Remus' lap so they were face to face. "It's really hot today," he said and fished an ice cube up from his glass. Holding it in one hand, he slowly sucked Coke off the fingers of the other hand, which he had stuck into the glass. "Mm," he hummed. "Sugary. Gets sticky if I don't get it off."

"Looks tasty," gulped Remus, watching him intensely. He ran his hands up and down Regulus' body, unable to control himself much longer. Even though it had been less than two hours since they had last had sex, Remus found himself itching to drag the Brit back to the bedroom.

"It is." Regulus held his hand up so a few drops trickled down his arm. Then he planted his tongue on his elbow and very slowly licked up his arm to get all the Coke. He smiled to himself at the way Remus' eyes were nearly poking out of their sockets. Regulus put the cube to his lips and sucked on it noisily. Slowly melting, some of the drops trickled down from his lips to his chin. "Mm," he moaned, closing his eyes as if tasting something heavenly.

Remus leaned forward and licked Regulus' chin, trailing up to his mouth. "You're teasing me…"

"What?" asked Regulus innocently. "I'm just sucking on an ice cube." He looked Remus straight in the eyes as he made another slurpy sound. Then he closed his eyes and tilted his head back while moaning. "Mm... Feels so good in my mouth."

Remus cursed under his breath. He knew Regulus was playing a game and he wanted to resist as long as possible although he knew Regulus would likely win.

 _Damn it_ , thought Regulus. How long would it take Remus to crack? Well, Regulus was up for the challenge. Either Remus gave in and stopped pretending that he wasn't dying to fuck him, or there was going to be no sex. He slurped again on his ice cube and 'accidentally' spilled some onto Remus' hand. "Ups. Sorry 'bout that," he said as he picked up Remus' hand and raised it to his mouth where he slowly and sensually started sucking on two fingers. Twirling his tongue around them, he fixed Remus with a smoldering gaze.

"Oh... God..." Remus moaned, feeling the blood pounding in his crotch. "I can't take any more of this! I need you. I… I wanna fuck you again."

"Really?" smirked Regulus like the cat that got the cream. "Well... I'm feeling generous today, so why not?"

Remus ran his hands down Regulus' back and dipped under the waistband, grabbing a hold of his buttocks, and pulling him close in his lap. "And here I got you all lotioned up for nothing."

Regulus kissed him, rolling the ice cube forward with his tongue, pushing it into Remus' mouth. Remus sucked on it for a moment until Regulus fished it out of his mouth and slowly ran it down Remus' chest, rising goosebumps in its trail, then down to a nipple, rubbing the cold piece of ice around until it perked. "What was it you said you wanted to do?" hummed Regulus.

Remus looked at him with half-lidded eyes. "Fuck you," he said in a husky voice.

Regulus took in a quick breath and shivered in anticipation. "Well, we better get inside, then," he smirked.

They had only just closed the front door when Remus pounced on the other boy. They kissed fervently, hands all over each other as Remus pushed Regulus towards the dining table.

Regulus grabbed Remus' bottom and pulled him in, grinding his erecting into him, finding him just as hard as himself. "Fuck…" he panted into his mouth. "I want you!" A grunt escaped him when his lower back collided painfully with the table, but he didn't break the kiss.

Neither did Remus when he reached a hand forward to swipe the few things that were lying on the table onto the floor. Then he spun Regulus around, grabbed a hold of his hair and pushed him down to lie on his front on the table. He leaned down, pressing Regulus harder into the table, and moaned in his ear, "And you'll get me."

"Get on with it, then," demanded Regulus, although Remus was already yanking down his trunks to the floor so Regulus could step out of them. Regulus turned his face to the side and stretched his arms forward to steady himself, then started grinding backwards against the hips that were pressed into his backside. " _Remus_ ," he whimpered.

"Fuck… look at you, bent over the table for me, moaning for my cock," groaned Remus and gave Regulus a slap on the buttock. Then he put two fingers to Regulus' lips and instructed, "Suck."

The Brit shook his head as much as he could with his cheek pressed to the tabletop. "Skip the prep. I'm ready. Want you now!"

"So needy," said Remus and spit a few times into his hand, slicking himself up and slowly pushing into the willing body beneath him.

Regulus let out a ragged moan. It had only been a few hours since their activities in the bedroom, so it barely hurt. "More," he gasped. "Harder, Remus. I need it!"

Remus was more than happy to oblige and set a brisk pace of hard thrusts, grabbing onto the narrow hips to anchor himself. Loud moans and grunts were filling the room as the two worked up a sweat.

Regulus panted, rolling his hips back to meet Remus' every thrust, ordering him to fuck him harder, faster, to make him take it. He let out a yelp as Remus pulled at his hair, raising his head off the table and leaning forward to latch onto his throat. He whimpered in pleasure at the hot suction and scrape of teeth scrape against his sensitive skin, and at the way his cock was dragged back and forth against the underside of the table. It was driving him ever closer to the edge, but he needed a bit more than that if he was going to make it before Remus finished, which was going to be soon judging from the violent, more and more erratic pace. "Rem…us… touch… me… wan…na… come," he begged between hard pounds that knocked the air from his lungs and pushed the table a few millimeters forward every time.

Remus leaned forward and reached under the table to fist the younger boy's leaking cock, rough and fast. "Come on, then," he panted. "Now, Regulus!"

Regulus cried out, coming violently, painting the underside of the table white, as Remus pounded into him a few more times, filling him up as he stretched onto his toes and finally went limp, his weight pressing Regulus flat against the tabletop.

 **o0o0o**

Saturday evening, they ate at a small restaurant at a marina close by.

"We should definitely do this again. Get away from home and just relax," smiled Remus and took a sip of his wine. "I'm sure Jamie's parents won't mind lending us the house another time." He raised his glass to Regulus and smiled at him fondly.

"Yes," said Regulus. "I have to admit it's wonderful to get a bit of luxury. Although it's nothing compared to what I'm used to. But still, the first I've had since moving away."

"So it wasn't so bad coming here?" smiled Remus. "Even though you and Sirius have fight once in a while, you seem to have gotten pretty happy here."

"Well... You're here," said Regulus. He looked into his glass, suddenly afraid he had given too much away. He had to be careful not to let Remus know how strongly he felt for him. It would make him vulnerable.

"Yeah?" beamed Remus. "I'm glad you decided on dating me, Regulus. Really glad. I'm very fond of you, you know... Very."

"Hmm," hummed Regulus, not meeting Remus' eyes. He wanted Remus to like him. More than like. But he couldn't ask how much. And if Remus told him he loved him then Regulus would have to reply.

Remus bit his lip, feeling the conversation taking a turn to an awkward silence so he reached out his hand and gently touched Regulus'. "How about we go see a movie? After dinner, I mean. Or is there something else you would like to do?"

"I don't really feel like going anywhere else. Perhaps buy a bottle of wine and drink it on the veranda?"

 **o0o0o**

"This was a good idea," smiled Remus and took Regulus' hand as they sat on the porch swing, gently swinging back and forth, the warm breeze caressing their cheeks.

"Except for the mosquitos," said Regulus. "This repellent smells horrid."

"Well, no rose without a thorn," said Remus and turned his head to give his boyfriend a soft kiss. "It'll wash off. In fact…" he continued, getting an idea. "Why don't we do that right away?"

"You want to go inside already? But It's so lovely out here."

"No, I was thinking go out _there_ ," said Remus, nodding in the direction of the sea.

"What, you want to go swimming? Now?"

"Why not?" smiled Remus. "It's warm enough. Come, let's go," he said, pulling Regulus up from the swing.

Regulus followed, fingers intertwined with Remus'. "You're mental! We don't have our trunks!"

"Your boxers will do the job, don't you think?" said Remus, kicking off his shoes and pulling off his shirt.

Regulus grinned and followed suit, stripping down to his underpants.

The water was warm, almost equal to the air. "Feels good," smiled Remus when they were out chest-deep. "Almost better than in the daytime."

"It does," agreed Regulus. "And it's so quiet and beautiful. Just the moonlight and… is that fireflies?" he asks, pointing towards the beach.

"Lightning bugs, yeah. Don't see them much around the beach, though. They must be making a special appearance for us."

"They must…" said Regulus, stepping closer to Remus, wrapping his arms around his waist, and looking up at him. When Remus looked back into his eyes, Regulus felt his heart swell in his chest and his stomach do a flip. It had started happening more and more, recently, when Remus looked at him, and it felt wonderful and a little scary at the same time.

Remus stared back silently, pulling the smaller boy even closer. "Regulus, I…" He swallowed thickly, Adam's apple bopping in his throat. "I… I l–"

Regulus silenced him, swallowing the rest of the sentence in an intense kiss, refusing to let him pull away, demanding for Remus to kiss him deeper.

The night ended, of course, with yet another round in the bedroom.

"You're bottoming tomorrow, announced Regulus when his breathing was back to normal. "Otherwise I'll walk funny for days."

* * *

 **A/N: Zayhad has made a beautiful piece of art for this one. See it on her deviantart :)**


	17. We Were Perfect Together

**Chapter 17 – We Were Perfect Together**

When they came home, an unpleasant surprise was awaiting Regulus, rendering him standing with his mouth half open. In the living room Sirius, Peter, James, and Lily were sitting. Along with Barty Crouch Jr.

Barty stood up when Regulus walked in and smiled nervously at him. "Hello, Regulus."

"Barty has just been telling us about your time at Eton," beamed Lily. "Ain't it a nice surprise getting a visit from home?"

"Yeah..." mumbled Regulus, still staring at Barty.

"I just thought it would be a nice surprise for you," smiled Barty.

"Yes. Nice," said Regulus, his expression unreadable. "Can I talk to you alone?" he continued and motioned for Barty to follow.

Instead of taking him to his room, Regulus lead Barty downstairs and outside. He turned on his visitor when he had checked no one was close enough to hear them. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" he growled.

Barty took a step back as if afraid that Regulus would bite him. "You stopped answering my e-mails, so I bought a plane ticket and came to see you," he smiled nervously and stretched out his arms as if expecting a hug.

Regulus showed no intention of wanting a hug. "I answered plenty of your mails - with the same message: for you to leave me the hell alone! So what are you doing here?"

 **o0o0o**

"Regulus didn't seem happy to see him at all," said Peter.

"Perhaps it's an ex," speculated Lily.

"Yeah," said Sirius. "He's quite handsome. For a bloke. Classy and well dressed. Just like Reggie."

Remus looked out the window, feeling his stomach knot up. So it might be his ex? The one who had broken Regulus' heart? Why was he here? To get Regulus back? What if Regulus was still in love with him?

 **o0o0o**

"I came here so we could talk. Perhaps fix things so you could come back with me to the UK." Barty smiled fondly at his ex. "I like your fiery mood, Reg... reminds me of so many things."

"I don't care what you like!" spat Regulus. "And if you don't bugger off soon then I'm going to get too fiery for you to take the heat!"

Barty took a few steps back and gulped. "But... but I came all this way to see you. Won't you at least sit down with me and have a chat?"

 **o0o0o**

James had gone to the window and stood with his nose pressed to the glass. "Man, he ain't happy at all! He's yelling at him."

Remus moved up behind James to get a better look, a little relieved that things didn't seem to go well for Barty.

"He traveled all the way from Britain to see Reggie," said Sirius, "and Reggie tells him to stick it."

"He must really be into him to go this far just to get him back," said James. "If that's what's going on. Technically we don't know if he's even an ex. Maybe it's about your family, Sirius."

"I've never seen him before," said Sirius. "I definitely think it's his ex. The way he talked about Reggie before he came home. It was pretty clear."

Lily voiced her agreement.

"You... you think Regulus knew he was coming to visit?" asked Remus. "Or had the intention of coming, at least?"

"Don't know. Reggie is a very private person, you know. He keeps a lot of things to himself," said Sirius.

"What did he say about your brother that makes you think it's his ex?" asked Peter.

"Just the way he talked about him. He sounded like he adores him. In a creepy way." Sirius shuttered. "Not like you, Remus. You can adore my brother all you want."

"It's not going well, out there," said James, his nose still flat against the glass. "He just pushed him. I think he was trying to kiss him."

"James!" scolded Lily. "Don't spy on them!"

"I ain't spying. They're standing in a public place!"

"I'm going down there," said Remus and hurried out the door and down the stairs. He wasn't sure what help he would be, but he couldn't just let Regulus get into a fight. Barty was looking absolutely miserable when Remus came down, and Remus actually felt a little sorry for him. "Everything okay? " he asked.

"This is none of your business, Remus," said Regulus curtly. "Go back up."

"But..."

"Who's he?" asked Barty, looking from one to the other.

"He's no one," said Regulus. "Remus – go back up!".

Remus felt a sting to his heart as Regulus addressed him as no one, and he left as he was told.

"Go home, Barty," said Regulus again. "I'm leaving now, and don't follow me up! You're going to regret it if you do!" He turned on his heel and marched back up to the apartment. There he locked the door and put on the chain.

He found the others in the living room, looking very curious. "Don't anyone dare let him in if he comes back," he threatened. "He's a pestilence and he only understands things the hard way."

"You can't just let him sleep on the streets!" said Lily, eying Regulus reproachfully. "Why don't you let him stay here for a few days? His plane home is on Wednesday."

"He could sleep in your room and you bunk with Remus," suggested James.

"If you don't mind sleeping with a nobody," mumbled Remus, looking down at the floor.

"No!" said Regulus. "He can stay in a hotel. He's got money enough." Not wanting to discuss anymore Regulus went to his room.

Five minutes later there was a knock on the front door. Sirius sighed and got up and went to the door.

"Hey. Can I come in?" Barty asked through the mail slot.

"Probably not a good idea, mate," said Sirius. "It's best if you go to a motel. "You can try swinging by tomorrow or something, yeah? See if he's in the mood to talk when he's cooled off."

Barty sighed. "I don't know where to find a hotel. Can't I stay for just one night? I came all this way and I'm exhausted. I just want to talk to him."

"Look, he doesn't want you here." Sirius looked over his shoulder at James. "Can't you drive him to a motel? I don't fancy getting killed by Reggie for letting this bloke inside."

"Sure," said James and went to find his car keys.

Lily came into the hallway. "Sirius... Why not let the poor boy in just for the night? He can sleep on the couch."

"How do you think Jamie would feel if your ex came and crashed on the couch?"

"Yeah," said James, looking horrified by the thought. "He's going!"

"I wouldn't be a bother at all," said Barty, still peeping through the mail slot. "It's just that I'm here all alone and I don't know anyone but Regulus."

"I'll drive you to a motel close by, okay?" said James.

Sirius walked into his brother's room without knocking. "What the hell is going on, Reggie? What's your ex doing here? And what did you say to upset Remus?"

"I don't know what the hell he's doing here," snapped Regulus. "Has some screwed up idea that he can win me back or something, although I've made it quite clear to him to sod off and stay gone."

"Well, clearly he didn't get the message!" said Sirius. "I asked Jamie to drive him to a motel. I suggest you go sort things out your current boyfriend. Also, might be an idea to tell him that you've been talking to your ex and what his intentions are."

"I have nothing to hide, and I had no idea he was coming around. Now get out of my face, will you? And keep your nose out of my private life!"

"Hey – I'm part of your private life! And I don't like to see my friends upset, and Remus is upset over something. Try not to screw this one up, Regulus. He loves you. You know that, right?"

"I'll take care of it, yeah?" growled Regulus and stood up. "Now stay out of it!"

 **o0o0o**

A few minutes later Regulus went into Remus' room, thinking that he deserved an explanation. He found him sitting on his chair by the table. "Hey..."

Remus turned his head to look briefly at Regulus. "Hey..." he mumbled.

Regulus stood, wringing his hands. "Something wrong?"

Remus turned around and rested his elbow on the back of the chair. "I'm a little hurt that you introduced me as nobody to your ex-boyfriend."

"That had nothing to do with you. It's none of his business who you are. And for the record - I didn't invite him here, as you could probably tell."

"I know, but you seemed to be ashamed of me," said Remus.

"What? No! I just didn't want to get you mixed up in this. I don't want him in my new life. I want him to fuck off home and never contact me again."

"Oh, okay," Remus nodded slowly. "Regulus, I just... I was afraid that you might not like me enough to introduce me as your boyfriend."

"Why would you think that?" asked Regulus, looking puzzled. "I've chosen you, haven't l? I could have him - as you could clearly see - but I've chosen you. I don't understand your logic."

"I don't either," said Remus and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm just confused. Afraid of losing you somehow... I dunno..."

Regulus sighed and sat down on Remus' bed. "This has nothing to do with you. I just hope he doesn't come back. My brother said Potter drove him to a motel."

"Why didn't you tell me that you were in contact with him?" Remus couldn't shake the fear that Regulus still had feelings for Barty. He was very handsome, and Remus would call himself average at best.

"Why should I tell you everything about my past? You haven't told me about all your boyfriends either, and I haven't asked."

"I just... I'd tell you if my ex was trying to get me back."

"Well, there was no reason to make you worry. He wrote me a few times, begging me to take him back and I told him to shove it. Then I blocked him on my e-mail. I had no idea the crazy bugger would come over here. I don't even know how he found out where I live."

"He probably looked up Sirius' name," said Remus and got up from his seat, walking over to Regulus and sitting down.

"What the hell is wrong with the bloke?" said Regulus irritably. "Half a year ago he wouldn't even look at me - now he's ready to throw away his whole life for me."

"I don't know," said Remus and placed a hand on top of Regulus'. "But I understand why he would want you back. You're a very special person."

Regulus scoffed. "I'm not _that_ special. There are plenty of fish in the sea. Why the hell doesn't he just pick one of those? It isn't like it would be too difficult attracting someone. He's both handsome and rich."

"Yeah..." Remus hung his head. He was neither handsome nor rich. Basically, he had nothing to offer Regulus. Why _would_ he pick him over Barty?

Regulus got to his feet. "Want to sleep in my room?"

"Yeah," said Remus and turned off his computer before following Regulus.

Regulus was in a bad mood and for once didn't initiate any kind of sex. It was nice, though, lying close to Remus.

Remus put his arms around him and kissed the top of his head. He took in a deep breath and sighed, trying to forget that Regulus' obsessive ex-boyfriend was sleeping only a few miles away.

 **o0o0o**

Remus had the next day off, so he sat in an armchair trying to read a book while Regulus paced back and forth all morning, consuming one cup of tea after another, waiting for Barty to come by. Oh, Regulus was ready. Ready to kick him across the state line.

Past noon he started believing that Barty had actually given up. "Hey, Remus, what time do people usually have to be out of their motel rooms over here?"

"Around noon, I think," said Remus and checked his watch. "If you still think he's gonna show, that gives him a good half hour to get here." Remus took a sip of his coffee. He dreaded this meeting very much.

An hour later and still no Barty. "Well," said Regulus, having checked both his phone and e-mail once more. "Seems like he actually got the message yesterday. Fucking finally."

Remus smiled and leaned back in his seat, looking over at Regulus with relief written all over his face; but this was cut short when there was a knock on the door and Remus felt his stomach sink.

Regulus marched to the door and tore it open. He was just about to bite the head of who he thought was Barty but turned out to be a frightened looking mail man. "Oh," said Regulus, "What do you want?"

"I got a parcel for a Mister Pettigrew," said the man, glancing nervously at Regulus. "Is that you?"

"Heavens, no!" said Regulus, rolling his eyes. "But he does live here. I'll sign for it."

Remus lit up when he saw Regulus come back to the living room alone. "It wasn't him?"

"No. Just a care package from Peter's mum, I think. She has to make sure he doesn't starve to death, doesn't she? Anyway - I need some air, so I thought I'd go out and get some groceries. It's my turn to cook tonight. Want to come or are you busy?"

"You go ahead. I need to do some studying for my last exam. Didn't get too much done at the beach house. But be careful Nancy doesn't try to snatch you up again while I'm not there to protect you."

 **o0o0o**

Not five minutes had passed after Regulus left until there was another knock on the door. Remus found Barty standing on the other side. "Regulus isn't home," he informed him.

"I know. I thought that one of you lads would be more open to reason. His brother told me to try coming back today. I figured that perhaps it's easier if I get in and wait for him here." He looked expectantly at Remus.

"I don't know..." said Remus and rubbed his chin nervously. He knew Regulus would be very upset with him if he let Barty into the apartment, and Remus was not keen on it himself either, but it had always been difficult for him to turn people away, and maybe it was actually a good idea for them to talk things through so Barty would understand that Regulus was in a new relationship and not interested in him any longer. "Alright, but if he doesn't wanna listen to you then you gotta leave," said Remus and stepped aside.

"Alright," said Barty, relieved. "Can you spare a cup of tea?" he asked as he went into the living room to sit down.

Remus returned a few minutes later with a cup of tea for Barty and a plate of cookies (being the good host he was raised to be).

"So..." started Barty, blowing steam off his cup. "It's really hot here, yeah? I imagine Reg is having a hard time with that. He was always very sensitive to his surroundings. Complaining about being cold one day, too hot the next, and too wet the day after that," he grinned. "Well, very sensitive in general. One of the things I love about him, actually. He's very affectionate, too, when he's with someone he loves. And he loves fiercely."

"Yeah, I know," said Remus, trying to force a smile, sitting down on a chair opposite Barty. He didn't like it when Barty talked about Regulus that way. As if he didn't believe Regulus could possibly love anyone else. Remus just wanted him to shut up, but he couldn't tell him that so he just nodded.

"Well... He got a nice tan. Looks good on him," said Barty. "Well, he always looked good. He's the handsomest bloke I've ever met. Gorgeous. As if the gods created him specially. Don't you agree? "

Remus swallowed a lump and bent his head, regretting the decision of inviting Barty inside. "Yes, he's very handsome..."

Barty sat quietly for a moment. "You're his boyfriend, yeah?"

"Yes," Remus said and sat up straight, trying to look taller and more secure.

Barty looked Remus up and down, a peculiar look on his face as if he was trying to figure out what in the world Regulus saw in him. "Huh," he said to himself. "Well, it's quite new, isn't it?"

"No. We've actually been dating almost from the start he came," Remus lied, seeing the expression on Barty's face, easily reading what he thought of him. "We clicked immediately."

"Ah," nodded Barty. "Well, Reg and I were together almost a year, so that's a lot longer. And we were best friends for years before that. We were perfect together, but then this mess happened and that's what I've come to clean up."

"Well... he… he's with me now so you can't really change that. And he's over you," said Remus, feeling the knot in his stomach tighten. He felt like screaming at Barty.

"I understand you completely," smiled Barty in a patronizing manner. "Regulus is not somebody you want to ever let go. Which is why I've come this far to patch things up with him. You know... I think his reason for coming over here was to run away from me. He tends to run away from painful things instead of facing them. But it doesn't make him happy in the end."

"He's happy with me. He told me so," said Remus. "He's not interested in you any longer. He will tell you again when he comes back and then ask you to leave. I only let you in here so you could hear it one final time and then leave him alone."

Barty sighed. "What's your name again?"

"Remus."

"Remus. Right. I have known Regulus since we started at Eton at 12 years of age. I know him better than anybody. We were best friends until we became lovers. We're soul mates. Do you understand that? I _know_ he will come back to me eventually. He always had a hard time forgiving, and I hurt his feelings because I was an idiot. I'm not giving up until I've convinced him I'm going to make it up to him."

"I'm not giving up on him either!" snapped Remus, feeling helpless. "I love him and I don't care how long you two have known each other!" Remus actually felt himself getting close to tears out of stress and desperation. Could it be true that Barty could win Regulus back and Remus would lose him? He dared not think about it.

"But he still loves me. I could tell the minute I saw him. If he were over me do you think he would have been this furious? No. Then he wouldn't have cared enough to be more than irritated."

Remus bent his head and shut his eyes tightly. He felt like his heart was breaking. "That's not true..."

Regulus had never told Remus that he loved him, and when Remus had tried to say it to him, he had quickly changed the subject. What if he was indeed still in love with Barty, and Remus was just a rebound?

The sound of the front door made both boys look up. A moment later Regulus came into the living room on his way to the kitchen. He stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted Barty, then dropped the grocery bags he had been carrying. "You? What the hell are you doing here? How bloody daft have you become? How many times do I have to kick you out before you get it?"

Barty smiled sweetly and got up from his seat. "Your brother said I could come by today and I really need to talk to you. Maybe your boyfriend could leave so we can be alone?"

"Remus isn't going anywhere," said Regulus, his eyes boring into Barty. "What have you been saying to him? Did you try to walk all over him? Take advantage of his hospitality? I see he got you tea and biscuits as though you're welcome here."

"I just told him the truth," shrugged Barty. "That we have known each other since we were 12 and have been lovers for a year. Much longer than the two of you. And I honestly believe that you're still in love with me because you give out the vibe that you're not over me, and I mean - come on, Reg... that bloke can't be much more than a fling. Look at him."

"You don't know _anything_ about Remus," growled Regulus through gritted teeth. "So shut up about him! And I don't love you any more, Barty. I got over you. Believe it or not - you're not that incredible. I got over you, and you know what? I was relieved. I learned that you're not the meaning of life. That there are other people in the world. We had only been with each other, so we didn't know that it could ever feel any different. If you just tried to be with someone else you would find out that I'm not the only one in the world for you."

Barty looked at him a little taken aback as if this was the first time Regulus had said this. "But I don't love anyone but you... don't you see that?" He then pointed at Remus. "What does he have that I don't? I'm better looking than him and I bet I have more money as well. And I have status."

"I don't care! Those qualities didn't do me any good when things got tough, did they? You know what he has that you don't? He's kind and unselfish. And I don't think you're handsomer than him." Regulus hesitated for a moment before deciding to deliver a blow to Barty's pride. "And he's bloody brilliant in the sack."

Barty stared at Regulus, clearly in shock. "Well... well you were my first! How was I supposed to know how to do things? He's probably been with loads of blokes, so that's how he learned."

"Shut up about Remus! You don't know shite about him. Go have sex with some other people and you will expand your horizon. And you're going home, even if I have to put you on the bloody plane myself!"

"But..." said Barty "But I love you so much, Reg. More than _he_ ever could. Or anyone else. I said I was sorry and you just ditch me for some stupid yank?" Barty got to his feet. "No! I won't accept it!"

"Accept it!" spat Remus and got to his feet as well. "He doesn't love you! He's with me now and he asked you to leave, so leave! I love him and I'm not going to let you take him away from me!"

"Out!" said Regulus, pointing at the door. "I didn't want to get nasty but you're forcing me to."

Barty seemed to want to say more but then took his jacket and went to the door. "I had hoped you would take me back. What we had was special," he said but when Regulus' expression did not change, he walked out the door with a sigh.

As soon as the door had closed and they had listened to Barty's footsteps disappear down the stairs, Regulus turned to Remus. "Why'd you let him in? I told you not to!"

Remus bent his head and bit his lip. "I'm sorry, I just... I... I thought that maybe if you talked things through then he would finally get the message and leave you alone."

Muttering to himself, Regulus picked up the grocery bags and went into the kitchen where he proceeded to unpack them.

Remus peeped into the kitchen, looking slightly nervous. "Are you very upset with me?"

"I asked you to do _one_ thing," said Regulus, not turning to look at Remus. Of course, Regulus was glad that Barty finally seemed to have given up, but Regulus had not wanted to say those things in front of Remus. Regulus didn't like having revealed so much of his personal history and emotions to him.

"I'm really sorry... can't I make it up to you?" Remus asked and moved into the kitchen with caution.

"It doesn't matter," mumbled Regulus. "At least he finally got the message."

"Yeah..." said Remus, leaning against the counter. "Thank you for defending me, though."

Regulus ignored him, wishing he would go away. He felt like he had been forced to tell Remus some things he wasn't ready to.

Remus bit his lip nervously and scratched his neck. "Did... did you only choose to be with me because I'm good in bed? You didn't say anything about having feelings for me... you just told Barty that I'm amazing in the sack."

Regulus didn't answer. He didn't want to lie, but he wasn't sure he was ready to tell Remus that he loved him, even though it was very much true. He didn't know if he would ever feel safe enough to do that.

Remus looked hurt by the silence and sighed. "I said I loved you, and you can't even say that you _like_ me. Apparently you only like the sex?"

Regulus froze. Had Remus said he loved him? He hadn't noticed. He must have been too focused on Barty. "You... you said that?"

"Yeah, I did," said Remus. "I had maybe hoped you felt the same way. We've spent so much time together and I'd hoped it was more than just sex."

"Of course I like you. I said you were kind and unselfish – doesn't that mean I like you? How many complements do you want?"

"Not many… But it would be nice to hear you say you like me. You don't have to say that you love me, but I want you to know that _I_ love _you_." Remus walked towards the door to the living room. "I'll leave you alone now."

Regulus sighed. Why did Remus have to go and make things so complicated? Damned Barty, coming here and messing up something perfectly good.

 **o0o0o**

Remus stayed out of Regulus' way the rest of the day. At night Regulus lay awake for hours, hoping that Remus would come in. It was always he who came to make peace after a conflict. Finally, Regulus swallowed his pride and sneaked into Remus' room. Perhaps if he acted as if nothing had happened, things would go back to normal. He climbed into Remus' bed and pressed himself against his back, slipping a hand under his pajama shirt to let the fingers play enticingly on his stomach.

Remus hummed in his sleep and then slowly opened his eyes. He knew he should probably push him away, but he hated fighting and Regulus had actually crawled into bed with him, meaning he wanted to make up. "I missed you all day..." he said softly and sighed, enjoying the touch.

"You're the one who stayed away from me," hummed Regulus into Remus' ear before giving it a lick and slipping his hand into Remus' boxers.

Remus leaned his head back and gasped as Regulus' fingers fumbled around in his boxers. "I... I just wanted to give you some space."

Regulus continued for a moment but then pulled his hand up. "Why do you always give in? People hurt you and you end up apologizing to them."

"I don't know... I reckon I've always been weak like that," said Remus. "I hate fighting with you and I just want things to be okay again. I'm glad you came in here. Makes me feel like you care at least a bit. "

Regulus lay quiet for a moment. Then he sighed, finally giving in. "Of course, I care. I l _ove_ you, you muppet. I just thought it was obvious. I thought I had shown it pretty clearly. I don't shower everybody with affection, like I've been doing to you, you know? I didn't know I had to spell it out for you. I'm not good with emotional talk."

Remus felt his heart do a summersault and a warmth rise in his whole body. He couldn't help smiling widely. "I love you too, Regulus. More than I've ever loved anyone. Barty just said so many things that confused me and I got scared. He kept saying that you loved _him_ and you wouldn't act like that if you didn't. I'm really sorry, Regulus."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. You didn't do anything wrong. I know Barty - he can worm his way in everywhere. Of course, you were too nice to refuse him."

"I didn't tell him I was your boyfriend. He guessed it and then he looked at me as if I wasn't worthy of you."

"Don't listen to him. Barty has a tongue like a snake. He knows exactly what to say to get to people."

"If he's like that, then what did you see in him? He doesn't sound like a very nice guy."

"Well... There were good things about him as well. He was my best friend since I started at Eton."

Remus turned and put an arm around Regulus' waist and pulled him close, smiling. "Well, I'm so happy you're mine now."

" _Yours_ _?_ " said Regulus, cocking an eyebrow. "Where's that coming from? Has all that bondage play given you ideas?"

"I meant you're _my_ boyfriend. But don't try denying that it turns you on when I treat you like my property," Remus grinned.

"We can play that game tomorrow when the others have left. Unless you have work in the morning?"

"I don't work until noon," smiled Remus and gave Regulus a kiss on the lips. "So I can play with you for a couple of hours."

"That stuff I said about you being brilliant in bed - that was just to get Barty to leave, yeah? So don't let it get to your head."

"I know I'm great because you moan my name in extasy every time, but I don't like bragging," smirked Remus and kissed Regulus' neck.

"I'm just doing that to encourage you. To give you a bit of self-confidence. I'm a nice bloke that way," said Regulus, tilting his head to encourage Remus to keep going.

"Of course, you are, darlin'," Remus smiled. "I'm looking forward to your encouragement tomorrow, then. I really need that."


	18. About Bloody Time

**Chapter 18 – About Bloody Time**

The next couple of months saw Regulus getting fired from two jobs and quitting three. Five days in one job was his record.

"You're home early," said Sirius, looking up from his laptop.

"Yeah. Not kissing that wanker's boots for seven dollars an hour," said Regulus and went into the kitchen to get something from the fridge.

"That's the third job this month, Reggie," said Sirius and sighed, having given up on lecturing his brother about his workplace manners.

"I know!" snapped Regulus. Truth be told he was getting quite desperate because his money was almost out, but he just couldn't leave his pride at the door when going to work. He would rather starve than let himself be degraded by some big-headed boss or rude costumers.

"Now you've started school you have less time to waste. You better get a move on, Reggie, and make more of an effort."

 **o0o0o**

Coming home from work, Remus was met by Lily in the hallway. "Go see your boyfriend – I gave him a haircut!" she beamed excitedly. Then she laughed at the shocked expression on Remus' face. "Don't look so terrified," she laughed and put a hand on his shoulder. "I didn't take it all. He's still as pretty as ever."

Regulus turned on his chair to face Remus when he entered his room. He looked excited, but the smile on his face faltered when Remus just stood staring. "Don't you like it?" he asked, running his hand through his now just-above-the-shoulders hair. "It was getting so long, and –"

Remus broke into a smile and walked up to his boyfriend. "I _love_ it! I didn't think it was possible for you to look any better than you already did – but look at you!"

Regulus looked relieved and smiled again, wrapping his arms around Remus' neck and pulling him down for a kiss.

 **o0o0o**

"Get those bloody feet off the table!" screamed Regulus when he walked into the living room, finding Sirius, James, and Peter playing Nintendo - Peter's bare feet on the table. "That's bloody nasty! We live in a flat, you know, not a bloody pig sty!"

Peter quickly pulled his feet off the table and eyed Regulus grumpily.

"Relax, dear brother," said Sirius as he gave James the final blow in the game they were playing. "Take a chill pill, will ya?"

"His feet are sweaty and dirty! Probably has athlete's foot too! Do you want to eat off that table? He might as well stick them on your plate!"

"Control your boyfriend, Remus," said Sirius and started another game, choosing to ignore Regulus as he often did when Regulus was right about something.

"You're a pig, Pettigrew," said Regulus.

"What happened?" asked Remus, a little confused, having just come into the room.

"Just Regulus biting my head off for putting my feet on the table," said Peter, hoping for support from Remus.

"I gotta agree with him on that one, Pete," said Remus. "It's kind of unhygienic. Especially with the socks off."

Regulus smirked. It was nice getting a little support, and it was clear that Remus didn't just say it to humor him.

"Of course, you're taking his side," mumbled Peter.

"I've actually told you before," said Remus and crossed his arms. "It's got nothing to do with taking sides."

"That's right, Pete," teased James. "Listen to Mama and Daddy."

"I swear I'm going to kill that git one day," Regulus growled as he followed Remus into the kitchen. "Why can't we kick him out? Blimey, I wish I could afford my own flat. You and I could share it."

"Relax," smiled Remus and put his arms around Regulus' waist from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder. "Maybe we can do that one day if we can find an apartment cheap enough. And when you've found yourself a steady job. Talking about that - I talked to one of Mr. Ollivander's old friends today and he owns some stables and needs someone to take care of his horses. I said I might know the perfect fellah for the job."

Regulus turned in Remus' embrace, staring at him for a long moment. "Horses? What kind of horses? Which sport?"

"I'm not sure what kind of horses he has," said Remus, pleased with himself for having caught Regulus' interest. "I don't really know anything about horses. He got a large stable outside of town. I just thought that maybe it would be more interesting than the other jobs you've had, because you used to ride horses."

"Yes. Yes, of course. I'll try it out," said Regulus, trying to not seem overly excited. He was no small child after all.

"Maybe Sirius can give you a ride out there tomorrow after school," suggested Remus with a broad smile. "Unless you'd rather I take you out there after work?"

"I think I'll go on my own, if you don't mind. Maybe drop me off there."

"Of course," Remus nodded and leaned in for a kiss. "I hope it's the right job for you. He's a very nice old man and I think you'll like him."

 **o0o0o**

Sirius' borrowed James' car the following day and dropped off Regulus at the address given by Mr. Ollivander. "Just give me a call when you need picking up, yeah?"

The place was bigger and more impressive than Regulus had expected. This man must be very rich. A long driveway lead up to the main buildings, surrounded by large pastures enclosed by freshly painted white wooden fence as far as Regulus could see. There were many horses in the pastures; wonderful thoroughbreds and warmbloods of different colors. To the left of the avenue was a pasture with half a dozen mares with foals and on the one to the right, a dozen colts were grazing.

An elderly man came walking out from one of the barns, wiping his hands on a piece of cloth, smiling broadly at Regulus. "Ah, you must be Regulus. So nice to see you," he said and held out his hand for Regulus to shake. "I'm Mr. Simmons but you can call be Albert. Remus done told me a great deal about you and he says you're mighty fond of horses."

"I am," said Regulus and shook the man's hand. "I have competed in show-jumping since I was ten."

"Ah, wonderful!" beamed Mr. Simmons. "Well, I don't know if Remus done told you anything about this place but what I mostly like for you to do is tend to a handful of my personal horses. I might even consider letting you ride them. I got a few showjumpers so that should be right up your ally."

"I'm a very good rider," said Regulus, a little offended that the man said he would _consider_ letting him ride. "Won the junior cup two years in a row in Chelsea."

"Well, I gotta see how you handle a horse first, but if you're as good as you say then I don't see no problem in letting you ride my horses. One of my riders moved away so I'm a man short, so I was very pleased when Remus mentioned you. "

"How about I show you right now?"

"Well, there ain't no time like the present, is there?" grinned Mr. Simmons. "Let's saddle a horse for you," he agreed and led Regulus to the stables. He showed him over to a stall where a brown mare stood and stuck her head out to look at Regulus as he approached.

Regulus went over and ran a hand down the mare's forehead, feeling his heart flutter. He had not touched a horse since he had sold Polaris. It would be wonderful to be back in the saddle.

Albert came back with a saddle and smiled at Regulus. "I see Celestina likes you already," he nodded and hung the saddle on the stall door. "If you could take her out and saddle her, get her ready for jumping, then I'll watch you work."

Of course, Regulus knew how to groom and saddle a horse, but it was work he had rarely done at home. He had people for things like that. But if he had to work here, he couldn't very well order someone else to do it for him, so he did it himself and lead the horse outside. With agility he leapt onto the horse and followed the old man down to the jumping court.

"Let's see what you got, Regulus," Mr. Simmons said and opened the gate to a large arena. He then leaned on the fence and watched as Regulus rode the horse around, warming up, before getting ready for the jumps.

Regulus rode for a good twenty minutes, getting a good feel for the horse before moving on to the jumping. He quickly found out why Mr. Simmons had given him this particular horse. She was clearly not very experienced. As soon as he steered her on the first fence, she got very excited and pulled on the reins to try to take control and run faster. She did not have a very good aim, so without being controlled and kept at a tempered pace, she would knock down most of the obstacles. The first three fences were knocked down but then Regulus was getting the hang of it. He sat down deep in the seat, calmly insisting she go slower, and he picked obstacles with a good distance between them to give the mare time to get a proper aim. After this, they cleared twelve out of 14 fences.

"Wonderful!" beamed Mr. Simmons, clapping his hands in applause when Regulus came to a halt. "I ain't never seen Celestina clear that many fences before. Clearly, you're very gifted on a horseback. And I like that you got a gentle hand. Way too many riders are rough on the horse's mouth. That's mainly what I wanted to see when I said I'd consider letting you ride my horses." He opened the fence to let Regulus put and he walked beside him back to the stables. "I would absolutely love to hire you if you're willing to work hard and come all the way out here."

"Brilliant," smiled Regulus. "Will you perhaps let me ride some competitions for you?"

"I see no reason why not. You clearly know how to ride a show jumper. Actually better than most of my other riders so I would very much like for you to compete."

 **o0o0o**

When Regulus came home he couldn't hide the wide grin on his face. He fetched a Coke in the fridge and plopped down on the couch next to Remus.

"How did it go?" Remus asked, excited to hear how Regulus liked the new job.

"Alright," said Regulus, trying to sound nonchalant, but the grin on his face gave him away. "Well - pretty bloody brilliant, actually. He was satisfied with my riding skills and said he'd let me both train and compete. He offered a pretty good salary too. And a twenty percent bonus of my winnings."

"That's great!" beamed Remus. "Then you finally found a job that you'll enjoy! And be able so save up for college."

"About bloody time," said Sirius as he emerged from the kitchen with a Budweiser in his hand. "Took him long enough to find a job that he might hold for more than three days."

"Yeah. I won't have my own stable boy, though," said Regulus. "Perhaps if I do well, I can convince Mr. Simmons to put one at my disposal."

"Wouldn't it be nice enough to do the work with the horses yourself?" asked Remus. "I mean it's a part of the job, ain't it?"

Sirius laughed. "Reggie was always used to people doing the dirty work."

"Where's the fun in that?" asked Remus.

"Anyone can brush and saddle a horse," said Regulus. "Why do that when I can pay others to do it? Then I can focus my concentrate and time on riding."

"Well didn't you want to go to college? Why not do it yourself and not waste money on hiring a stable boy?" snorted Sirius. "Or have you forgotten that you're not rich anymore?"

"No, I haven't," snapped Regulus. "I meant that Mr. Simmons should pay me only to ride and others to do the dirty work. He'd get the most out of me that way."

"So when are you going to work?" asked Remus.

"Evenings a few times a week and early morning on weekends. At least as long as it's so hot. When it gets better, we can move it to afternoons so I can sleep in on weekends."

Remus smiled, putting an arm around Regulus. He was so happy that his boyfriend had finally found a good job.


	19. Maybe We Should Call the Police

**Chapter 19 - Maybe We Should Call the Police**

Regulus walked down the long drive of Mr. Simmons' ranch and turned right once he reached the road. After ten minutes' walk he reached the bus stop where he sat down to wait. He had worked at the stables a few months now and took the bus there after school a few times a week. On weekends – like today – he came in the morning. Sirius and Remus had offered driving him whenever possible, but Regulus didn't want to be dependent on them, so the bus it was. He laughed a little to himself thinking about how his old self would have reacted to knowing that he would be taking the bus with the commoners. The half year living here had changed him significantly and doing things that would earlier have felt completely beneath him didn't matter so much to him any longer. Sure, he would rather drive than take the bus, but he didn't have a license yet.

He got off the bus about a hundred yards from their apartment building. On his way through the parking lot he passed a rental van. Just as he reached the end of it, someone stepped out behind him and pressed a piece of wet cloth to his face. He struggled for a moment and then all went black.

 **o0o0o**

Regulus woke up who knows how much later in a room with no windows. He looked around, finding himself lying on a bed. Where was he? What had happened? No matter what, this had to be bad news. He got to his feet steering towards the door, but he only made it one step away from the bed before feeling a painful jerk on his wrist. He turned to discover that he was handcuffed to the headboard of the bed. The first thought that struck him was that Remus had taken their little bondage game to a new level, but then he thought better of it. He had been unconscious and must have been drugged - something Remus would never do to him. Plus, he had never seen this place before.

At the sound of the door opening, Regulus' head snapped up to see a figure coming in. It took him a few seconds to realize who it was. "B... Barty?"

The blond brit smiled and tilted his head a little to eye at the half-drugged figure before him, the smile widening when he heard Regulus say his name. "Yes, it's me, love." When Regulus' expressions didn't change to a happy one, Barty bit his lip. "You're not happy to see me, I can tell. But don't worry. I'm sure whatever spell you have been under will wear off soon."

Regulus finally found his voice. "What are you doing here? What are you doing? You've... You've kidnapped me!"

"I wouldn't exactly call it kidnapping. I would call it snapping you out of whatever fantasy world those bloody Americans have put you in."

"It's kidnapping! You've chained me up, haven't you?" said Regulus, jerking at his handcuffs to make a point.

"It's for your own good, love. Sometimes a little force is necessary in the beginning – like when people rescue relatives from a cult."

"A cult, Barty? That's the most absurd comparison I've ever heard!" Regulus shook his head, unable to fathom the insane things that were coming out of Barty's mouth. "What are you planning to do? Keep me prisoner for the rest of my life?"

Barty shook his head. "No, I've only chained you up to keep you from running away until you've had a chance to come to your senses and realized that you belong with me. Don't you see?" he said and pointed at his own chest. "I'm the one you should be with! I'm your one true love. Remember you said that to me?"

"That was ages ago! Things have changed. I don't love you anymore. I love Remus. I love him more than I ever loved you, and you can't change that."

Barty went over to Regulus. Then suddenly his hand shot out and grabbed him by the jaw. "You do love me! Otherwise you wouldn't have answered my e-mails and you wouldn't have been so upset to see me! And you will forget about that pathetic excuse for a boyfriend. You're way out of his league, anyway – what the hell were you thinking, Reg?"

Regulus pushed Barty away with his free hand. "Don't talk about Remus that way! He's worth ten of you!" he yelled, "Let me go, you bloody nutter!"

Barty gave him a weak smile. "You always had a temper, Reg. But you'll come to your senses once you've cooled down." He then turned around and left Regulus in the small room. "I'll see you later, love."

"Barty! Barty, you can't just leave! Barty! BARTY!" screamed Regulus, tugging desperately at the handcuffs.

 **o0o0o**

"Where the bloody hell is Regulus?" asked Sirius, checking his watch. "It's his turn to cook and it's nearly six. Wasn't he supposed to be home long ago?"

"Yeah," said Remus, looking very anxious. He had been getting more and more worried as the hours passed. "He said he was done around two. He hasn't answered his cell or texts. I don't know where he went."

"Maybe you should try calling that old guy who owns the horses?" suggested Peter.

Remus followed Peter's suggestion and the result only made his insides knot up. "Mr. Simmons said Regulus left one thirty..."

Sirius started to pace back and forth. "Try calling him again," he told Remus.

Remus called again and then hung up. "It goes straight to voice-mail. Either he turned it off or ran out of battery."

"For fuck sake, Reggie!" Sirius scolded, getting more and more worried.

"Maybe we should call the police," James suggested a little hesitantly.

 **o0o0o**

"Barty!" Regulus called an your later. "Barty! You have to come! I need to use the bathroom!"

Barty turned up in the doorway a few minutes later, tossing a set of keys to Regulus. Regulus caught the keys and looked at them in disbelief. Then he looked back up at Barty and let out a gasp when he saw a gun in his hand.

"A... a gun, Barty? Are you mad? Are you going to shoot me?"

"No, you muppet, I'm just going to make sure that you don't try anything funny."

"Which means that if I try to escape, then you _are_ going to shoot me, is that it?" Granted, Regulus would have never dreamed Barty would do something as crazy as abducting him, but he couldn't believe he was capable of shooting him. Still, he didn't feel like risking it. Barty clearly wasn't in his right mind.

"Did you need to use the loo or not?" asked Barty impatiently.

Regulus nodded, unlocked his cuff, and walked down the hallway, followed by Barty and his gun. They were in a basement, judging from the look of the walls and floor. In the bathroom Barty at least had the decency of letting him use the toilet behind a closed door. Regulus quickly looked around, but there was no way he would be able to squeeze through the tiny window near the ceiling.

At the sound of the toilet flushing, Barty opened the door.

"I would really like a shower as well," said Regulus. "I stink of sweat and horse..."

Barty stood there for a minute, debating with himself. "There's a towel there," he said, pointing at a hook in the corner.

When he showed no intention of moving, Regulus asked, "Are you going to stand there watching me undress?"

"It's nothing I haven't seen many times before, love."

"Yeah, but back then it was voluntary. Now it isn't."

Barty tilted his head. "I call the shots right now, so you don't really have a say, Reg. Now, do you want that shower or not?"

Regulus wanted to shout to Barty to go to hell, but he was afraid that he would just be sent back to the room, and he was dying to get that shower, so he calmed himself. "It's a strange way to treat someone you love, Barty," he said quietly. "Not showing me any respect when I ask for a little privacy."

Barty sighed and then turned around. "This is the privacy you get. I don't want you to try anything funny. "

Regulus stood looking at Barty's back for a moment. It was stupid of him to stand with his back turned. Regulus considered trying to tackle him but decided it was too risky. The gun might accidentally go off and Barty was stronger than Regulus. So he just sighed and shed his clothes quickly and stepped into the shower, drawing the curtain.

While Regulus showered, he could hear Barty sitting down on the toilet seat and begin talking. "I'm sorry about this, Reg. If there was any other way I wouldn't do it, but you gave me no choice. You wouldn't listen. If you would've just listened properly I could have explained myself and convinced you to forgive me and take me back. Because I know you still love me - you just refuse to see it because you're still mad at me."

Regulus didn't answer, pretending to not hear him over the water. Barty was clearly beyond reason, and if he started arguing now, he might cut the shower short and Regulus wanted all the time he could get. He wasn't in a hurry to get back to the bed and handcuffs.

"I get it," continued the blonde. "I treated you horribly, but I promise I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I'll treat you like a prince."

"If this is how you treat a prince, then I'm glad I'm not royal!" snarled Regulus, despite having decided to ignore Barty. "You're treating me even worse now than you did when we were outed at Eton!"

"I said I was sorry, Reg," Barty sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you? I don't understand why you don't see that I'm only doing this because I love you and that we're meant to be together. You need to get over that silly fling."

"It's not a fling!" said Regulus, turning off the water. "It's a more serious and mature relationship than ours ever were! I love him." He snatched the towel from the hook and pulled back behind the curtain to dry himself in privacy.

"If that were true you wouldn't have answered my e-mails and asked me – no, _begged_ me to come see you. I can read between the lines."

"I answered your mails to tell you to fucking leave me alone! How many times do I have to tell you? But you interpret things the way you want to, because you can't deal with not getting what you want, you spoiled brat!"

"This is not about wanting you!" said Barty, pain evident in his voice. "It's about me loving you so much that I can't live without you! What else do you expect me to do than fight for you with all that I got? Lie down and die?"

"Stop with the drama. You won't die without me. Life hurts sometimes, but you get back in the saddle and move on. Just like I did. I thought I was going to die too for a while, but I moved on and I'm actually quite happy now. Until you kidnapped me, that is!"

"I can make you happy too," Barty said. "You just have to give me a chance to make it up to you. To show you how sorry I am and that I'll never hurt you again."

"I don't want to be with you! Why can't you get that into your scull? The problem isn't that I'm angry with you – the problem is that I don't love you!"

Barty was quiet for a long moment. Then he spoke in a tone that sent chills running down Regulus' spine: "You obviously need some more time to get to terms with your feelings, Regulus. But that's okay. I have all the time in the world."

Regulus didn't know what else to say. Barty had clearly lost his mind.

"Are you dry?" asked Barty, looking at the towel Regulus was holding in front of him. "Then go to your room."

"But... I need clean clothes. Mine is smelly and dirty."

"Go to your room, I said."

Regulus quickly fastened the towel around his waist and stepped out of the tub, glaring daggers at his captor.

"Wait... go up the stairs," Barty said, evidently changing his mind. "Nice and slow. And don't get any ideas, because there's a gun at your back."

Regulus climbed the stairs, Barty following a few yards behind with the gun. As they passed the kitchen Regulus slowed down as much as he dared without being too obvious in order to get a look out the window at the street. Quickly he tried to memorize as many details as possible. The faded yellow house just across the street, the two fat garden gnomes in the front yard. Just past the kitchen, Barty told him to go into the first room on the left. It was a bedroom; clearly the one Barty slept in.

"Stand quietly in that corner," instructed Barty as he rummaged through a few drawers, coming up with a pair of boxers and a T-Shirt. "Put them on," he said, tossing the clothes to Regulus.

Regulus did as instructed, using the towel to cover up his lower body as he slipped into the boxers. Then Barty ordered him back down the hall. When they passed the kitchen, Regulus got a quick look from another angle of the street. And there - a street sign! It was hard to read because it was rather far away and dirty, so he only got to make out the first part of the name until he had passed the kitchen: Rose... something.

Back in his room he locked his left wrist in the handcuff as instructed.

"Tighter," ordered Barty.

"But it hurts," said Regulus.

"You'll just try to squeeze out of it. Pull it tighter."

"But Barty... I thought you said you didn't want to hurt me."

The blonde sighed. "I'll get you some padded ones, yeah? There must be a sex shop somewhere around here."

Regulus sighed and clicked the cuff a nudge tighter.

 **o0o0o**

Remus walked restlessly around the living room. He was scared and getting more and more scared as the hours passed. Sirius was on the phone with the police, but after about two minutes James had to take over because Sirius was losing it over the fact that the police weren't taking him seriously enough.

"Yes, I know teenagers run away all the time," groaned James into the phone, "but that's not the case here. We're his roommates - not his parents! ... No, he wouldn't just leave his brother like that ... He hasn't moved. He left all his belongings here, okay? ... Where the hell would he go? He doesn't know anyone here but us! He's from effing England! ... No, his passport is still here. Well, I actually read somewhere that it's not true that it's a rule that you can't start looking for an adult until they been missing for 24 hours."

"Tell them to go find my god damned brother!" Sirius roared behind James.

James hung up the phone after about ten minutes. He sighed, seeing the others' expectantly looks. "They just said we should keep looking for him on our own and contact them tomorrow morning to report him missing if we haven't found him by then."

"What? No!" protested Sirius. "What if some serial killer abducted him? He could have hours left!"

"Let's try calling all the hospitals again, shall we?" suggested Lily, putting a comforting hand on Remus' shoulder, having noticed how upset he looked, although he was quiet.

"Yeah... yeah, alright..." whispered Remus and nodded his head.

"You look sick, Remus," said Lily, looking even more worried. "Come sit in the kitchen, I'll make you a cup of coffee or something, and then I'll make those calls while you drink it," she said, guiding him to the kitchen with a hand on the small of his back.

 **o0o0o**

Regulus woke slowly, his left shoulder aching because he had been lying on it in an awkward angle thanks to the handcuffs. He adjusted himself a bit and noticed that the untouched plate of food from yesterday was still standing on the chair next to the bed. At least he thought it was yesterday. Although starving, he had refused eating, out of spite. There wasn't much he could control, but at least this he could. He started when he felt a gentle touch run along his cheek and flipped over to find Barty lying next to him. He slapped the boy's hand away from his face.

"Morning, love," smiled Barty warmly.

"What the hell? Are you feeling me up in my sleep?" snarled Regulus.

"I'm just getting used to having you in my life again," Barty said and ran a hand down Regulus' leg. "You know I missed you so terribly."

Regulus smacked away the hand from his leg even harder than before. "Don't touch me without my permission! That's sexual assault!"

Barty looked a little shocked. Then he grabbed Regulus' wrist and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "I can touch you if I want. You're my boyfriend, remember?"

Regulus felt a fleeting sense of anxiety at the intensity in Barty's eyes. Then he jerked free of his grip. "No, I'm not! I'm Remus' boyfriend! Not yours!"

"Cut the bloody act, Regulus! You belong to me! Remember what you said? You and I forever!"

"We were just kids, Barty! Kids say lots of stuff."

"It was less than a year ago," countered Barty.

"A lot has happened since then. I've matured a lot. It's not you and I forever. We barely even lasted a year."

"Well, it meant everything to me and I know you feel the same. You just forgot because you've been riding that yankee's cock for a few months."

"FUCK YOU!" yelled Regulus, furious at the way Barty was talking about Remus. He planted his feet in Barty's chest and kicked him off the bed. "He means more to me than you ever did! I'll never be yours again, and you can't force me! So why don't you just get over yourself and bugger off back to Britain! I don't want you here! You disgust me!"

Barty looked up at him from the floor, quite startled, but then got to his feet, rubbing his sore chest. "We will see," he said and left.

Regulus rolled onto his stomach and screamed his frustrations into the pillow, slamming the fist of his free hand repeatedly into the mattress, imagining it was Barty.

 **o0o0o**

"No, he hasn't come home yet," Remus told the officer who stood in the doorway with a notebook and a pen. He took the description of Regulus and what he had been wearing.

"Tell them he looks moody," Peter said from his spot on the couch. Everyone looked at the plumb boy, who sank down in his seat. "Well... he does. He hardly ever smiles."

"Shut the fuck up, Pete!" said Sirius furiously, feeling like hitting his roommate. "My brother is missing and you just slag him off?"

"Not true anymore, either," commented James, unimpressed with Peter's bad sense of tact. "He smiles around Remus. A lot. He's changed a good deal, actually."

"Well," said the officer, "we will send his picture and description to all the police stations in the State, and I suggest you make posters and go hang them around the city. Hopefully someone has seen him and will get in touch."

 **o0o0o**

"You have to start eating," said Barty, sounding quite worried. "I made your favorite dish..."

Regulus, kept staring up at the ceiling, ignoring the plate Barty was offering him. It smelled wonderfully, but he was not going to give up his hunger strike, which was about the only protest he could truly give. It had been five days now. Or was it six? He had lost track of time, since there were no windows in his room.

"Please?" Barty begged.

Regulus kept ignoring him. Barty sighed and sat down on the chair next to his captive. "Reg, love... Why do you always have to be so stubborn? How long are you planning to starve yourself?"

"As long as I'm chained to this bed," said Regulus, finally speaking but not looking away from the ceiling.

"You know I can't set you free."

"What exactly is your plan, Barty? Are you going to keep me chained up forever? Try to smuggle me on the plane back home? Or stay in this rotten hole forever?"

"I haven't planned that far ahead," said Barty. "I had hoped you would have come to your senses by now but I guess you need more time. "

"So what if I don't come to my senses?"

"You will."

 **o0o0o**

Remus came home a little later than the others. They had all been out looking for Regulus most of the day - again. He found Sirius sitting in the living room, his head resting on his hands. When he looked up, Remus could see that he had cried.

Sirius didn't have to ask Remus if he had found a clue of any kind, because his face looked as ashen as it had done all day. "I don't think I'll ever see my brother again, Remus," he said in an unsteady voice. "It's been over a week now and he's vanished off the face of the earth."

Remus sat down next to Sirius and rested his head on his shoulder. They had done that a few times the past week. The others were worried too, but naturally Remus and Sirius were much more emotionally involved. "I just wish we knew what happened," Remus said, feeling himself choke up as he thought about Regulus perhaps being dead.

"I talked to the police again..." said Sirius. "They've started searching forests, lakes, and fields, and stuff. He'll probably turn up in a ditch or something..."

"Please don't say that," Remus begged and felt himself tearing up.

"What other explanation is there? If he'd got lost he would have found his way home by now, wouldn't he?"

"Someone must've taken him," Remus said. "I won't believe he's dead. I won't! Not until the police show me his body!"


	20. Don't You Trust Me?

**Chapter 20 – Don't You Trust Me?**

Regulus tried to decide how long he had been at Barty's house. Somewhere between one and two weeks – probably closer to two – was his best estimate. Enough time, anyway, for him to have almost lost his spirit. He wasn't angry anymore – at least not the way he had been the first many days. Sadness and despair had taken over. He hadn't given up hope, but what was he supposed to do? He had tried screaming at Barty, calling him the foulest insults he could come up with, hitting, kicking, and scratching him when he got close enough. He had tried reasoning with him, and even begging (something he was not proud of), screamed his lungs out in the hope of neighbors hearing him, but nothing had worked. He had tried escaping several times, had tried to trick Barty into making a mistake, but he was extremely meticulous and careful. He never kept the key for the handcuffs on him, so even if Regulus was lucky enough to overpower him in some way, it wouldn't get him anywhere. When he was allowed to use the bathroom, Barty kept at a safe distance with his gun at the ready.

Regulus had started eating a few days ago, realizing that if he was ever to have a chance of escaping, he needed his strength and clear-headedness. Lying there speculating, he was suddenly struck with an idea. A tactic he hadn't tried. How could he not have thought of this before? Probably because he had been too angry to even consider it or being able to act well enough to pull it off. He hadn't tried _playing along_. Trying to convince Barty that his plan was actually starting to work. That Regulus was finally realizing that he still loved him.

"Barty?" he said in a soft voice next time the blonde came in and sat on the chair by the bed to talk. "Tell me about our time at Eton. Back when things were good between us."

Barty looked surprised, but then smiled. "It was perfect, Reg. We were so happy. Madly in love and together every minute of every day."

"Yeah..." said Regulus, sounding like he was getting sentimental. "It was a rather happy time, wasn't it? I remember feeling all warm and dizzy whenever you smiled at me. I wanted to be close to you all the time. Wanted to feel your lips on mine. Your hands on my body..."

"Me too!" said Barty eagerly. "You were everything to me! You still are."

Regulus looked into his eyes, holding his gaze for a long moment, and spoke softly, "Then why did you treat me the way you did? How could you break my heart like that? You knew how much I loved you. How could you, Barty? If you really loved me as much as you say."

"I…" croaked Barty. "Because I was a coward. I was afraid of what my family would say and everybody at the school… But, Reg, I'm so, so sorry that I hurt you, and I'll regret it until the day I die."

"You understand why it's been so hard for me to forgive you, don't you? You betrayed me. You hurt me more than anyone else had ever done."

"I'll never ever hurt you again," said Barty, taking Regulus' hand and holding it between his own two. "I swear it, Regulus. Please let me make it up to you."

"And exactly how are you going to make it up to me?"

"Any way you want, Reg. I'll do anything to make you happy. Just let me do it!"

Regulus gazed into his eyes for a long time, trying to look emotional. "I haven't forgiven you yet, but I think I might be ready to give you a chance..." He swallowed. "It's true what you said. I still love you. I just didn't want to."

Barty looked like he was about to cry from happiness and reached out a hand to carefully cup Regulus' cheek. Regulus' eyes fluttered shut and he slowly leaned in to press his lips to Barty's.

They kissed gently for a minute, Regulus forcing himself to relax so that he wasn't giving away how much he wasn't enjoying it. Barty seemed hesitant to take things further, no doubt because Regulus had hit or kicked him every time he had tried touching him until now, so Regulus had to take the lead in turning things up a notch. He kissed more enthusiastically, moaning in the back of his throat to make it seem he was getting aroused. "Barty, it's okay... you don't have to hold back," he hummed into his mouth as he brought up a hand to tangle in his hair.

Barty seemed to hesitate for a minute but then put his hands on Regulus' body – one on his waist and the other roaming his chest. As the kissing became more heated and Regulus started touching Barty as well, Barty slid a hand down the smaller boy's stomach to the waistline of his boxers. Here he waited, making sure Regulus would not knee him in the groin or something else painful if he went further, but when Regulus showed no change in demeanor, he palmed him through the fabric.

Regulus almost automatically jerked away from Barty's touch, but he forced himself to stay put. "I... I want you," he breathed, kissing Barty more aggressively and pushing his crotch against Barty's hand.

Encouraged, Barty pushed Regulus down onto the bed, still kissing him heatedly. He fumbled with his own flyer as an eager teenager about to have sex for the first time.

Regulus tried to help him push down his jeans, making a show of not being able to move properly with one hand cuffed. If Barty noticed, he didn't let on. Out of his jeans, Barty got up from the bed and headed for the door.

"Where are you going, Barty?" asked Regulus, sitting up in the bed.

"To get lube, of course. I don't want to hurt you, love," said the blonde.

Regulus lay back down. Lube? Was he really going to go along with this charade that far? No... not if he could avoid it. He would ask Barty to uncuff him right before they got started for real. Hopefully he would be so lost in passion that he would agree.

Barty came back, plopping down next to Regulus and quickly lathered up a few fingers and started applying the lube. Regulus closed his eyes, willing himself to relax at the intrusion although his whole body tensed up in protest. He tried to think of something else to pass the time until the right moment was there.

"You have no idea how many times I've dreamed of this moment," Barty said, kissing Regulus softly as his fingers worked him open. "I've stayed true to you, I want you to know that. I know you haven't been true to me, but I'll forgive you because I understand why you wanted to hurt me. And I know I deserved it. But never again, love, yeah? You'll be mine forever and I'll be yours."

"Yes," whispered Regulus. "I'll be yours..." he kissed him hotly, moaning and pushing down on Barty's fingers. "I want you so much, I can barely wait!"

Barty stopped for a moment, looking Regulus up and down. "But you're still not hard?" he said in confusion.

"It's just because I'm nervous. It's been so long, and I want to do good. It'll come, I promise." Relaxing himself enough to take Barty was harder than he thought, even with plenty of lube, but then again, he had never tried taking anything without being really turned on and wanting it. It was as difficult as the first time they had done it.

Barty stopped for a moment. "What's wrong? You're so tense. Don't you want me?" he asked, suddenly sounding unsure of himself.

"Yes," said Regulus. "I'm just nervous, and it's been a long time since I've bottomed. Not since you," he lied. "But I really want to. Like it used to be. Just go ahead - I won't break." He would just have to take the pain. If it meant that he could trick Barty into taking off the handcuffs it was worth it. Biting his cheek to distract himself from the pain, Regulus waited for Barty to get properly started.

"Bloody hell, Reg," you feel so good! I forgot how amazing you are!"

"Barty," moaned Regulus, trying to sound like he was getting into it and rolled his hips to meet Barty's. He ran his free hand down his back to his bottom and tried to do the same with the other, jerking at it hard to show Barty that the cuff was in the way. "Barty," he whined then. "I... I can't do this in chains. I want to touch you. Hold on to you."

Barty looked down at him, but to Regulus' dismay he shook his head. "I can't take that chance, Reg," he said and picked up the speed.

"Barty! Don't you trust me?" said Regulus, trying to gain eye contact and tugging at the cuffs as if he were about to panic. "I'm giving myself to you, and you can't trust me? Do you think I'd let you shag me if I didn't want you? Let me go. I promise I'll be good."

Barty took a hold of Regulus' free hand and pinned it the mattress, his eyes narrowing as his thrust became rougher.

Regulus gave up. He knew that look and it meant that there was no changing Barty's mind. He started struggling against Barty's hold, about to tell him to stop.

 _If you do that, he'll know you were trying to trick him and you lose your chance of getting him to trust you._

He stopped resisting, knowing it was true. If he backed out now, it would all have been in vain. If he kept up the charade then perhaps he could get Barty to let his guard down sometime in the near future. He suddenly found it hard to breathe and tears were threatening to spill. He felt violated. He felt like a whore. He couldn't stand looking at Barty one more second. He was not going to make it if he did. "Barty," he whimpered. "I want you from behind. You know how much I like that."

Barty hesitated for a moment, then pulled out to let Regulus flip over onto his stomach. "Sure, love. I know."

Regulus pressed his face into the pillow, willing his tears to stay back. He couldn't cry now. Barty would notice afterwards and know that he hadn't been into it. He tried to imagine that it was Remus behind him, but that only made him feel worse. Remus. He was cheating on him. Sure, it wasn't for pleasure, but still... He had started this, not the other way around. He bit hard into the pillow, forcing himself not to cry.

Barty was moaning over Regulus, so caught up in his own please that he didn't even register that Regulus was shaking. After what seemed like an hour, he finally finished and collapsed down over Regulus. "Was... was it good for you?" he asked as he rolled off and lay next to his captive.

Regulus didn't trust himself to speak and he was afraid to look at Barty; afraid that his voice would waver and his face tell how he was feeling, so he just nodded into the pillow.

Barty was quiet for a moment, then carefully shook Regulus by the shoulder. "Are you okay? Are you upset? Reg, look at me."

Regulus shook his head, still pressing his face into the pillow. He wished Barty would go away. Wished he was a better actor, better at hiding his feelings. He always used to be good at that, but to be fair, he had never been subjected to something this traumatizing before. A sob escaped him and he hated himself for being so weak. There was no way Barty hadn't noticed.

With force Barty flipped Regulus over to look at his face. "You're crying! What's all this about? I thought you wanted me, and now you act as though I raped you or something! Was this some trick to get the best of me?" The blonde shook Regulus none too gently and raised his voice angrily. "Trying to get me to release you so you could run away, is that it? You can't toy with people's feelings like this!" he shouted and then backhanded Regulus across the face.

Regulus stared up at him in shock. Barty had never laid a hand on him before.

"Fuck, Reg," said Barty, eying the already blossoming bruise on the boy's cheekbone. "Oh, shite, I'm so sorry, love, I didn't mean to do that. You just really hurt me…" he said and put a gentle hand on his cheek.

Regulus jerked away from the touch and rolled back onto his stomach.

Barty didn't try to turn him over again. "You can take a shower after me," he sighed. "And then we need to have to have a serious talk."

As soon as Barty had left, the dam broke and Regulus started sobbing violently into his pillow. His cheek was aching and he could feel Barty's seed seeping out of him. He had never felt this humiliated, this ashamed, in his entire life.


	21. I'll Take Your Deal

**A/N: Last chapter - except for an epilogue next week :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 21 – I'll Take Your Deal**

About ten minutes later Regulus had to turn over, his arm aching from the awkward position it had been forced into because of the cuff. He looked around for something to cover himself with - he didn't want Barty to see more than he had to. He spotted his boxers on the floor out of reach, so he used his feet to pull up the sheet pooling at the end of the bed. And then he froze. Barty's discarded shorts lay on the bed next to him, and out of the pocket peaked the top of his cell phone.

Regulus did a double take, holding his breath for a moment to listen hard. The water was still running in the bathroom. He reached down and snatched the phone, unable to fathom his luck. However, a second later his stomach sank. It was coded, of course. A new sob escaped him. How could fate be so cruel – giving him hope and then snatching it away? Twice today. He pulled himself together and stared at the display. It asked for six digits. Which numbers would Barty choose? He actually remembered the code for Barty's old phone, but that was only four numbers. They had been 0102, Barty's birthday. Regulus tried those four, adding the year (99) as well. Wrong. He swore silently. Then another idea hit him. He had two more tries and this was as good a guess as any. 100599. Regulus' birthday. He stared at the display as he saw the code accepted. However, there was no time to rejoice in his luck; Barty could be back any moment. He heard the water turn off next door. He had to hurry! He was about to dial 911 but then stopped. He was afraid Barty would hear him talking, so instead he typed a quick message to Remus' number.

 _Barty took me don't know where but there's a yellow house opposite and two fat gnomes and street starts with rose._ _Call police he has a gun. Don't answer this text or he will know!_

He sent the text and quickly deleted the thread to hide what he had been doing. Panicking, he heard the bathroom door open and he scrambled to put the phone back in the pocket.

 **o0o0o**

Remus heard his cell beep and he quickly picked it up. It was from an unknown number, but when he read the message, he nearly dropped the phone.

"What is it?" asked Sirius, who sat on the other end of the couch. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"R-Regulus just texted me!" Remus shouted, not realizing how loud his voice was. He sat with his phone in shaking hands, staring at the text.

"What?" gasped Sirius. Then he felt relief flood over him - his brother was alive! "Where is he? Where the fuck did he go?"

Remus handed the phone to Sirius and bit a hangnail. "Barty took him," he said as James and Peter came into the room to see what was up with the agitated voices.

"What?" James exclaimed.

"That fucking creep!" growled Sirius. "What the fuck did he take him for? Revenge, or what?"

"Because he wants him back!" cried Remus. "What does it matter? We should call the cops! Does anyone know where this place is?"

"I don't know - you're the local!" said Sirius.

"Could be Rosewood," said Peter, who had also grown up in Columbia.

"Yeah?" said Sirius, turning to him. "Well, let's go there!" He raced into the hallway and jammed his feet into his sneakers.

"Sirius, wait!" said James, going after him. "I bet there's more than one street starting with 'Rose'. And we don't even know if he's still in Columbia. Who knows where that fucker took him? He's been gone for weeks!"

"We should call the police!" said Remus agitatedly. "Regulus said so, and he's right. They'll know what to do. They have all the right resources."

"Yeah?" Sirius turned to him. "I'm not waiting another second to go find my brother now that I've got clues! I thought you'd be just as eager, being his boyfriend and all! I thought you loved him!"

"I DO love him!" Remus retorted. "I want him back and I don't want him hurt in the process!"

Sirius pushed past Remus, heading for the front door.

"Hey!" said James and stepped in front of the door to block it. "I can't believe I'm the one to has to be the voice of reason. We can't just rush out like headless chickens. We'll have to check how many streets start with 'Rose' before we go looking."

Sirius sighed and ran his fingers though his hair. "Fine! Fine. Let's look at streets, then."

 **o0o0o**

They set out a bit later, having decided to systematically go through all the possible streets to look for the yellow house with the fat garden gnomes.

They had printed out a city map and highlighted all the streets starting with Rose (11 altogether) and planned in which order to check each one. James was driving, Sirius next to him with the map, Remus and Peter in the back seat.

Remus was on the phone to the police, informing them about the text from Regulus. When the call was finished, he looked up. "They say they'll get on the case immediately and warn us to not go looking ourselves, because it's a hostage situation and Barty is armed, like Regulus said."

"Fuck if I'm just gonna sit on my arse waiting for the coppers to finish their donuts while my brother is being abused by that bloody psycho!" said Sirius.

James sighed. He knew the smart thing to do was to listen to the police, but he knew his best friend well enough to know that there was no stopping him. Instead he said, "Sirius - if we find the place before the police, then we don't just barge in. We call the police and wait for them to come do their work, alright?"

Sirius nodded but his eyes told a different story and James called him out on it. "Alright, Sirius?"

"I'm not gonna wait outside," Sirius finally said after a minute. You go ahead and call the police, but I'll go get my brother."

"Yeah? So you're just gonna barge in and make chaos? Maybe get yourself or Regulus shot in the process? The police have professional hostage negotiators. There's a reason for that!"

Sirius pointed at Remus but looked at James. "You think _he_ will just stand and wait?"

"Yes, because Remus uses his head and he knows it's the right thing to do! He doesn't rush headfirst into things without stopping to think about the consequences!" James thanked God that Sirius was British and hadn't thought about getting himself a gun like most Americans would automatically do in a situation like this. And James certainly was not going to bring up the idea. He could easily picture his hotheaded friend bust into the house and start a shoot-out.

"We probably won't find it before the cops, anyway," piped up Peter, trying to relieve the tension.

After that there was an awkward silence for a long while before Sirius suddenly screamed and pointed. "There! That must be it!"

James stepped on the breaks. Had they really already found it? It was only the third street they tried. He eyed the house. "We can't be sure... there's lots of yellow houses and lots of people have garden gnomes."

"It's here!" said Sirius and opened the car-door.

"Sirius, wait!" James called, but Sirius was already out on the street.

There were three likely houses, but one had kids' toys strewn out in the front yard and another had several cars parked in the driveway. The third one had a rental van sitting out front, so Sirius ran to that one and hammered on the door.

 **o0o0o**

Regulus' was woken from his sleep by noise from upstairs. He listened intently as the hammering and shouting went on a few minutes. Next thing Barty came rushing in, white in the face and gun in hand. He tossed Regulus the keys and ordered him to uncuff himself. "Now, get some clothes on."

"What's happening? Is someone at the door?"

"Get some clothes on and do as I say!" barked Barty.

Barty had allowed Regulus a shower after his own and given him a fresh pair of boxer shorts, but otherwise he was naked. He looked around, spotting a T-shirt hanging on a chair. He moved over slowly to put on the shirt, eying Barty, who had the gun pointed at him.

"Come," said Barty and backed up the stairs and all the way to the living room, gun still raised as Regulus followed him at a distance.

There was still hammering on the door and now Regulus could make out the shouting as well. "REGULUS! BARTY, YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHITE - I'M GONNA KILL YOU! REGGIE!"

"SIRIUS!" screamed Regulus.

"Shut up!" snarled Barty, looking horrified. Then he rushed forward and grabbed a tight hold of Regulus' hair and jammed the barrel of the gun into his neck.

"Go away, Sirius!" Barty barked. "Regulus is with me and it stays that way! He loves me and none of you can do a thing to change that!"

"Regulus?" Remus' voice could be heard from the other side of the door. "Are you hurt?"

Regulus had to bite his cheek to prevent himself from answering. The sound of Remus' voice sent his pulse skyrocketing, he could feel it pounding in his throat where the gun was pressed to his jugular.

"Barty," said James. "The police are on their way – you aren't gonna win this."

"LEAVE!" yelled Barty. "I have a gun, and if you come in, I'll shoot you!"

"LEAVE, Sirius!" shouted Regulus, knowing that Barty wouldn't shoot him for sending his brother away. "Don't come in! Just go!"

Sirius stood still for a second, then anger resurfaced and he rushed forward, slamming his shoulder into the door. There was the sound of a crack, but the door stayed closed. James and Remus reached for Sirius, but before they could grab him, he had rushed forward again. This time the door gave way with a sickening crash and Sirius fell to the floor half-way in. Before he could pick himself up or the others enter, Barty backed away to the wall, the barrel of the gun pressed hard into Regulus' throat.

"Don't come any closer!" he warned in a high-pitched voice. "If you do, I'll shoot him, I swear it!"

"Get that fucking gun away from my brother!" Sirius yelled but didn't move.

James helped him to his feet and got him to back out to the porch. "Listen, Barty," he said, holding up his other hand in an appeasing gesture. "Like we said, the police are on their way. You don't stand a chance in hell. The only way you're getting out of this is we make a deal: let Regulus go, and we won't stop you on your way to your car. If you're quick you can get away before the cops get here."

"Just... please let Regulus go, Barty," Remus pleaded, feeling helpless. He knew if he tried to get to his boyfriend, Barty would likely shoot Regulus, so he stayed put, hoping to God that he would listen to reason.

Barty bit his lip, then said, "I'll take your deal, with a minor change: Regulus is coming with me. We love each other. We're soulmates and we'll never part again. So back away so we can get to the car, yeah?"

Sirius was about to say something, but Remus put a hand on his shoulder. "Okay... okay, just don't hurt him," he begged.

"Back off," ordered Barty. "Farther. Farther!"

"Are we just gonna let him take my brother?" Sirius asked James and Remus incredulously.

"Don't do something stupid, Sirius," said James and put a hand on his friend to prevent him from suddenly having a go at Barty. "He's crazy. Crazy enough to shoot him. Or one of us. We'll get him. The police will get him," he continued in a low voice so Barty couldn't hear. "We'll give them the license plate."

"Don't you fucking hurt my brother, you bastard!" yelled Sirius while he backed away along with James and Remus.

When they had reached the far end of the front yard, Barty walked Regulus toward the van, the gun still pressed to his throat. When they reached the car, Regulus stopped and gained eye contact with Remus. "I'm sorry, Remus," he said, tears running down his cheeks. "I love you."

He felt Barty freeze for a long moment. Then he leaned out so he could see Regulus' face. He watched his tear-stricken cheeks and followed his gaze to where it was resting on Remus. Then, with a heartbroken sigh he let go of him and stepped back. "I get it... I really don't stand a chance with you, do I?"

Regulus looked at him, the sight of utter pain and defeat on his ex's face actually made him feel sorry for him. He shook his head. "No, Barty. You don't."

"Go, then," said Barty and lowered his gun.

Barely able to believe it, Regulus ran to the others, right into the arms of Remus.

Remus slung his arms around Regulus and hugged him so tightly he could barely breathe. He buried his face in the crook of his neck and felt Regulus' tears soaking the fabric of his shirt.

Sirius, James, and Peter just stood there gawking at the scene. Barty looked so heartbroken as he stood there with dull eyes and the gun dangling from a slack arm.

"Let's go," said James, giving Sirius' sleeve a tug. "Just leave him be."

"Regulus, wait!" sounded Barty's voice.

They all turned, and Regulus, who still stood hugging Remus, turned in his grip to look at Barty, who had raised the gun again, pointing it at him.

"I get it that you don't want me," said Barty. "But you destroyed my heart… and... if I can't have you, then he can't, either."

Regulus was slung sideways to the ground, as if someone pushed him, just as a loud crack sounded, echoing off the buildings on the street. He was surprised at the loudness of the shot. He could hear people screaming, muffled by the deafening effect of the shot so close to his ears. Why didn't it hurt anywhere? Was this what being shot felt like? You didn't feel anything at first because of the shock and adrenalin, or what? A groan behind him made him turn on the ground. Remus had sunk to his knees, gasping for breath. Then Regulus saw a dark spot rapidly spreading on Remus' light blue polo, and he realized that it was him and not himself who had been shot. Remus must have pushed him to the side to save him.

"Remus," Regulus gasped as he moved over to his boyfriend. "Remus, are you…" he was going to say "hurt" but that was stupid, because of course he was hurt – he had a hole in his chest!

"Are you hurt?" Remus choked as Regulus gently pushed him down onto his back.

"No, but..." Regulus pressed his hand against the wound on Remus' chest, meaning to stop the bleeding. "But you..." He looked into Remus' eyes and saw how unfocused they were, as if he was about to lose consciousness. "No... no, no, no - somebody do something - SOMEBODY HELP HIM!" he screamed.

Regulus had barely registered the sound of the gun going off again when Sirius jumped Barty to wrestle it away from him. Now Sirius was pinning him to the ground, a wild expression on his face, while punching him in the face repeatedly. He halted when he spotted the gun on the ground, then picked it up and pointed it at the half-unconscious Barty's face.

"Sirius, no!" said James, carefully taking a step forward. "Don't! Don't do it!"

"He tried to kill my brother and shot my friend!" Sirius said through gritted teeth, his hands shaking a bit.

"And he's going away for that. You don't wanna go away too, do you?"

"They're not gonna put me away for defending my brother!"

"This has nothing to do with defense - it's revenge! He's defenseless on his back – if you shoot him like that it's an execution!"

Sirius clenched his teeth and then put the gun down. "I hope they lock you away for life, you piece of shite!" he barked and punched Barty one more time.

Remus coughed and a bit of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. "I'm glad you're okay," he said and tried to smile at Regulus. "That's… what matters."

"HELP! HEEELP!" screamed Regulus, looking around desperately to see that several neighbors had come out to see what was going on, but scared to get too near. "SOMEBODY HELP HIM!"

Someone had obviously already called for help, because the sound of several sirens was drawing closer.

Peter kneeled next to the boys on the ground staring at the dark spot on Remus' shirt rapidly spreading. "Oh, fuck," he gasped. "Fuck, Remus..."

Suddenly the front yard was full of uniformed people.

"Come, son, we need to take care of you," said one of the paramedics, trying to lead Regulus over to one of the ambulances while two others were tending to Remus.

"What? I'm not going anywhere. I'm fine!"

"You were held hostage for two weeks. I'm sure you're not fine. Let's just take a look –"

"No, I'm not fine - because my boyfriend is lying bleeding out on the ground!" yelled Regulus, pulling away from the man's grasp. "Help him!"

Sirius came up and wrapped his arms around his brother. "Easy, Reggie. He'll be fine. They're sorting him out now, yeah?"

Regulus pressed his face into his brother's chest and sobbed violently. The paramedics were shielding the view so none of them could see anything of Remus apart from his feet.

Sirius shushed his brother while looking in the direction of Remus. "It'll all be alright," he said, trying not to let his voice break. Truth be told, he was scared it wouldn't be.

 **o0o0o**

While Remus was in surgery, the police tried to get Regulus to give his statement. "No! Not while my boyfriend is being operated on and I don't even know if he'll survive!"

"I understand you're upset, son, but it's important that we get your statement so we can charge Crouch. You don't have to come to the station - we can do it here at the hospital while you're waiting for news about your boyfriend."

"I don't want to talk!" said Regulus, getting more agitated and afraid he was going to start crying again.

"Can you give us a minute?" Sirius asked the officer.

"Alright. I can go interview the other two boys in the meantime."

Sirius pulled Regulus aside and let James and Peter tell about the shooting. "I get it, Reggie," he said. "But we can't do much else but wait and they need to know what happened. The bastard is going away because he shot Remus, but they also need to know what he did to you. I want him punished for all of it."

"I don't care what he did to me," said Regulus and felt tears start running down his cheeks again. "What he did to Remus is worse."

"He was trying to kill you, Reggie. If Remus hadn't taken the bullet, you would've… I could have lost you."

"It would have been better. All of this was my mess. Oh, God, this is all my fault. If he..." Regulus started sobbing. "If he d-dies then that's on me. My fault. I might as well have shot him myself!"

"No, Reggie. None of this is your fault. It's that mental fucker's."

"I'm the one who made Barty this way! I drove him mad – you saw him. He wasn't like that before. I could just have gone back with him and none of this would have happened!"

"That's bollocks, and you know it. You had no way of knowing what a mental bastard he was and that he would do something this outrageous."

"I brought you all to the house. I texted Remus - I should've known you would come." Regulus hiccupped. "I should have tried calling the police instead!"

Sirius put both hands on his brother's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Stop blaming yourself. If Barty had heard you calling, he would have killed you. Remus is not the only one who could have lost you. I could too. I would have done the same as Remus if I'd been the one standing with you. Remus isn't a victim – he made a choice. Because he loves you."

"I wasn't his choice to make! He had no right to do that!" Regulus suddenly yelled and stepped away from Sirius. "He had no right to take my place like that! Don't you think I love him too? Where was _my_ choice? He had no right to do that without my permission!"

A nurse came rushing over. "Honey?" she said, putting a hand on Regulus' shoulder. "I think you need to sit down for a bit. Come with me, I'll take you somewhere quiet and get you a tranquilizer, okay?" she smiled.

 **o0o0o**

After what seemed like days a doctor came out and called for them. They followed him into a room, Regulus feeling like he could barely breath, waiting for the verdict.

"How is he?" asked Lily. "Is he going to be alright?"

The doctor adjusted his glasses and nodded. "He had a collapsed lung and significant internal bleeding, but the operation went well, and he is stable. He is resting right now but you can go see him if you're quiet."

"He'll be fine?" said Regulus, feeling his body sagging in relief. "Promise?"

The doctor nodded. "You can never be a 100 % sure, of course, but unless unexpected complication occurs, then yes."

"You go see him first," Lily smiled at Regulus.

Regulus was glad that the others let him go in first. Remus looked pale and fragile in the white hospital bed. He was sleeping; probably still had some anesthetics in his system, not to talk about pain killers. Regulus wanted to hug him but didn't dare touch his body out of fear of hurting him, so he just sat down and took his hand, kissing his palm and weeping silently.

A nurse came in after knocking lightly on the door. She smiled at Regulus while she checked the IV.

"When will he wake?" asked Regulus. "When can we take him home?"

"Perhaps in an hour, perhaps a few more," she smiled. "I don't know when he can go home. Time and the doctors will tell. Shall I send the others in? I think they're anxious to see their friend."

Regulus nodded.

A few minutes later the others came in. "Why isn't he awake?" James complained.

"Anesthetics, James," said Lily, rolling her eyes. "It takes a while getting out of the system. You should know that, doing chemistry."

"Well, I'm not studying doctoring, am I?"

Remus stirred about an hour later. When he opened his eyes, everyone was hovering over him so he got a little startled. "Where…"

"Morning, hero," smiled Sirius. "You're at the hospital. Doctors sorted you right out."

Regulus squeeze his hand. "Are you okay?"

Remus turned his head and smiled at him. "I am now."

"Okay, guys," Lily said, sensing that Regulus and Remus might want a bit of privacy. "Let's go grab some food. We'll bring you something, honey," she smiled at Regulus and pushed the others out.

"But he's awake now!" Sirius complained.

Regulus gave Remus a gentle kiss once they had left. "Do you remember what happened?"

Remus closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember. "I remember pushing you to the ground when Barty pulled out the gun," he said and frowned his brow. "I must have been shot? Did he really try to shoot you?"

Regulus nodded, tearing up again. "Yeah... I guess something clicked when he finally understood that I loved you and not him."

Remus smiled softly and caressed his cheek. "I'm sorry you had to endure that, darlin'." He scooted a bit over and patted the bedside. "Come sit. "

Regulus eyed the place Remus' hand was patting. "No. No, I don't want to risk hurting you. You need to mend properly. Are you in pain? Should I ask for more morphine?"

"No," Remus said and shook his head. "I just miss being close to you, but you're probably right. It's too risky. "

Regulus leaned in and gave Remus a long gently kiss. "I can do that, though. Your mouth is not hurt," he smiled.

Remus reached and took Regulus' hand. "I'm really tired. Will you be here when I wake if I just shut my eyes for a bit?"

"Of course. I won't go anywhere. You need to sleep."

Remus smiled softly and let his eyes drift shut.


	22. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Are you sure?" asked Regulus, skeptically eying the tube of lube in Remus' hand. "I don't want you to overstrain yourself..."

"The doctor gave me the green light a week ago," said Remus. "And it ain't as if I'm gonna be wrestling a hippo."

Regulus sighed. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but he had been so scared of losing Remus that he couldn't risk a relapse. And there was also that other matter… "Tired of hand- and blowjobs?" he asked with a crooked smile. "If I'm pants at it, you can just tell me."

Remus smiled a little, sending him a mischievous look. "You're not bad at all and I do enjoy both, but I've been dying to fuck you for a month." He titled his head. "Unless you'd rather spend the day we have the whole apartment to ourselves to just sit and do homework?"

"No!" said Regulus. "I just want to make sure you're okay. Tell me if you're feeling winded, yeah?"

"I will, darlin', don't worry," Remus smiled. "But I'm sure you'll take real good care of me."

"Remus..." said Regulus, stopping the Southerner's hand as he was reaching down to apply the lube. "There's... before we do this... There's something I think I have to tell you. I... I had decided not to, because I figured it would only serve to hurt you, but I just can't let it go. I feel so guilty and I don't want to keep secrets from you."

Remus looked at him, a little worried, and then nodded. "You know you can tell me anything," he said and caressed his cheek. "What's bothering you, darlin'?"

Regulus took a breath and forced himself to look Remus in the eye. "It's about Barty. He... when I was at his house. He... I let him shag me."

Remus went pale. "He… he raped you?"

Regulus shook his head. "It wasn't like that. I started it."

Remus looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I..." Regulus swallowed, suddenly wishing he hadn't said anything at all, seeing the look of confusion and hurt in Remus' eyes. "I seduced him... Not because I wanted it - I didn't enjoy it at all, I... I tried to trick him into uncuffing me, so that I could escape. But he refused. It was a stupid plan. It was the only thing I could come up with, but it didn't work."

Remus eyed him in shock for a long time, Regulus feeling his stomach drop. What now? Was he going to hate him? Feel disgusted by him?

Then Remus pulled him into a hug. "Oh, darlin', I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I'm so, so sorry. It's not your fault. You were desperate and he took advantage of you. I know you didn't enjoy it; I know you love me and not him."

Regulus nodded but still couldn't meet Remus' eye. "I'm so sorry. In a way I cheated on you. But I hated every second of it. I felt dirty. It made me feel like a whore."

"You're not a whore. Please stop thinking like that," said Remus and leaned in to kiss Regulus, but the boy dodged him.

"I feel like one. Still. I should have stopped him once I realized he wasn't going to uncuff me, but I didn't. I wanted to keep trying to get him to trust me. And... I was also scared that he wouldn't stop if I asked him. I think he would have, but... but if not, then it would have been worse. You know?"

"I don't blame you, Regulus. How could you think I would? How could you even think this was your fault? He didn't give you a choice: you had to do whatever you could to try and escape. The fact that he had sex with you without taking off your handcuffs even though you begged him to – that makes it rape. Even though you started it, and even though you didn't tell him to stop."

Regulus forced himself not to start crying. He had known, of course, that Remus wouldn't blame him, but it was a relief to get it out, nevertheless. The pain of what had happened was not gone, but at least he didn't have to feel guilty any more. "Do you wish I hadn't said anything?"

"No, I'm glad you told me. I don't want any secrets between us either, and I wanna help you put it behind you. And Regulus… I really think you need to talk about this with your therapist. I have an inkling that you haven't."

Regulus smiled and shook his head, finally looking Remus in the eye. "I don't want to talk about it with her. It's enough that you know and don't blame me. As soon as we have testified in court I don't want to think about him ever again."

When Regulus moved in to pick up where they had left, Remus stopped him with a gentle hand. "Are you sure you want to do this now? After what we've just talked about…"

"What do you mean?" asked Regulus, suddenly scared that Remus felt disgusted by him. "You don't… you don't want me anymore? Because of what happened?"

"No, darlin', no! That's not it at all," said Remus, cupping Regulus' face and kissing him. "I want you more than ever. I was just thinking that… Well, now I know what you've been through, I'm thinking that maybe you need some more time?"

"I don't need more time," said Regulus determinedly. "I want you even more now that I've come clean and you're so understanding, and I don't have to feel guilty anymore."

Remus smiled and kissed him again, pulling him in so they were lying flush against each other.

Regulus thought about how exactly they were going to do this. The days of their little bondage games were over for good. Regulus knew he didn't even have to tell Remus that. Would Remus be able to do it without thinking about Regulus being with Barty? Would Regulus?

But all his worries about awkwardness, fear, and guilt were proven groundless once they got started. As soon as Remus gently pressed him into the mattress, Regulus melted into his embrace and kisses. It felt right and safe and like home. It wasn't rough like it often was. Remus always seemed to instinctively know just what Regulus needed.

With Regulus' legs wrapped around his back, Remus entwined their fingers above Regulus' head and looked him deep in the eyes as they moved slowly, in sync. Remus felt like he was drowning in those dark oceans and he could hear his own heart hammer away. Or was it Regulus'?

"Oh, God," Regulus moaned when Remus changed his angle slightly so he hit just the right spot with every roll of his hips. "F-faster... I need it faster now."

Remus raised himself a little so he could get some more leverage and gave a slight nod before picking up the pace.

"I'm close," gasped Regulus a minute later and moved a hand down to jerk himself of, but Remus caught it.

"None of that," he chastised. "You're gonna come on my cock alone."

Regulus looked at him in surprise. "But… I can't."

"Yes, you can," said Remus, angling himself just right and speeding up even more. "Look at me," he said. Seeing Regulus' eyes roll back in his head and his body tensing up. "Good boy," he said when the Brit's eyes flew open, pupils wide and black. "There we go."

Release hit Regulus like a tsunami, wave after wave after wave. When he finally came back to reality, he noticed Remus lying slumped on top of him, clearly having finished as well. When he rolled off a moment later, Regulus propped himself up on an elbow. "Bloody hell! That was amazing! I didn't know you could do that!"

Remus chuckled. "You didn't know _you_ could or _I_ could or just in general?"

Regulus shook his head, feeling a little stupid. "I thought it was just a porn thing… Hey, why the hell haven't you done that before? If you had, then I would have become your boyfriend much sooner." Remus' face fell for a second and Regulus laughed. "I'm taking the mickey. That wasn't what it was about; you know that. The sex was mind blowing from the start."

"I know, darlin'," said Remus and kissed him before making himself comfortable under the sheets, Regulus' head resting on his chest. "You were afraid I would hurt you. I hope you know now that I won't. That I'd never."

"I know," said Regulus, drawing circles on Remus' chest. "I think if anyone is gonna hurt anyone here, it'll probably be me."

"Well…" said Remus, running a hand through Regulus' damp locks. "I think I'll take my chances."

* * *

 **A/N: I gotta say I'm not happy with this epilogue, but time's up and this is as good as it gets for now. Anyway, we hope you liked the fic as a whole and we want to thank you guys for holing on till the end.**

 **Zayhad and I have been super productive lately, so there's a string of fics coming up shortly. So keep the author alert on :)**


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